The embattled Rep. Tony Gonzales announced Thursday night that he will drop his bid for re-election but will serve out the rest of his term in Congress, following a tumultuous set of weeks for the congressman who admitted to having an affair with an aide who later died by suicide. Republican leadership rebuked Gonzales earlier on Thursday, with House Speaker Mike Johnson, who leads a razor-thin GOP majority in the lower chamber, calling on him to retire at the end of his term but not resign from the role entirely. more in first comments 👇👇

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Gonzales was running for re-election against pro-gun candidate Brandon Herrera. Neither of them won more than 50% of the vote in the primary Tuesday, forcing Gonzales into a runoff that had been scheduled for May 26.

Herrera’s campaign manager, Kimmie Gonzalez, responded with a statement from the candidate on Friday.

“I appreciate Tony Gonzales for making the appropriate decision,” Herrera’s statement said. “I look forward to being the voice of TX23 that our district deserves — from the border, to oil theft, water rights, data centers, and many other issues. It’s an honor to be chosen and together we will make Texas proud.”

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