Screen Capture: YouTube / Julie Clark
Medina County Republican Party Chairwoman Julie Clark wants to make sure you know she can handle a military-style assault rifle.
One South Texas conservative is wasting no time capitalizing on San Antonio Congressman Tony Gonzales’ recent censure by the Republican Party of Texas.
With nearly a year until her party’s 2024 primary, Medina County Republican Party Chairwoman Julie Clark has launched the first TV ad in her campaign to unseat Gonzlales, whom she labels a “R.I.N.O.,” or “Republican in name only.”
The spot’s launch comes roughly a week after the Texas GOP voted to censure Gonzales for voting to defend same-sex marriage and helping pass the bipartisan gun safety law that followed the Uvalde school massacre. Gonzales’ sprawling 23rd District includes Uvalde.
Clark’s ad opens with a voiceover attempting to sound like fictional Australian Crocodile Dundee. “Hey, mates, today we are on the hunt for the elusive R.I.N.O.,” the voice declares as safari footage gives way to clips of anti-Trump Republicans including U.S. Sen. Mitt Romney and former U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney.
The ad accuses Gonzales of being part of the R.I.N.O. herd for “trying to take away our guns.” A photo of the congressman flashes onscreen, stamped with the words “Voted for red flag laws.”
After making claims that Gonzales favors “tax payer [sic] funded abortions” and that he voted against a border wall, the commercial shows footage of Clark, hair piled high, as she fires a military-style assault rifle.
“Julie Clark is 100% pro-gun, 100% pro-life and 100% pro-Texas,” a new narrator with a Texas drawl declares. “It’s time we take out the R.I.N.O.s and replace them with real American patriots.”
Gonzales, a two-term congressman, has crossed party lines on several high-profile votes, but largely votes with other Republicans. For example, he’s voted with Republican House Speaker Kevin McCarthy 94% of the time, according to ProPublica, and as of November, he had a 75% National Rifle Association approval rating.
Just the same, Clark isn’t the only conservative who smells blood in the water after the censure vote.
Retired U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent Victor Avila has thrown his hat into the ring, and Frank Lopez Jr., who ran as an independent in Gonzales’ district last year, is weighing a run on the Republican ticket.
Expect more TV spots. Probably with a lot more guns.
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