Brandon Herrera, a social media influencer and far-right Republican congressional candidate, moved significantly closer to Congress on Thursday as his Republican opponent, Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), dropped out of the race, making Herrera the presumptive GOP nominee in a deeply conservative district.

Herrera has called for the U.S. to end aid to Israel and faced criticism for videos in which he included imagery, music and jokes related to the Holocaust.

Gonzales has been under scrutiny amid growing allegations that he pressured an aide, who later died by suicide, into a sexual relationship with him, a violation of House ethics rules. Both were married with children at the time.

The House Ethics Committee announced an investigation into Gonzales this week, and Gonzales admitted to the relationship for the first time on Wednesday, after previously denying it, though he claimed it had played no role in her death.

Amid mounting pressure, the embattled congressman said in a statement Thursday night that he would leave the race “after deep reflection and with the support of my loving family,” though he said he would serve out the remainder of his term.

Gonzales’ withdrawal came after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) and Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-MI) said in a joint statement on Thursday afternoon that they had asked him to withdraw from the race, which had been to a runoff in May.

National Republican Campaign Committee Chair Rep. Richard Hudson (R-NC) echoed the call for Gonzales to drop out.

“I would like to thank Speaker Johnson and House leadership for holding Congressman Tony Gonzales accountable for actions that have tarnished the office,” Herrera said in response to Gonzalez’s announcement. “I’m looking forward to representing the district the way the people of West Texas have always deserved.”

Gonzales finished second in Tuesday’s four-way Republican primary in Texas’ 23rd Congressional district, advancing to a head-to-head runoff against Herrera. Herrera, who lost by just a few hundred votes to Gonzales in 2024, picked up 43% of the primary vote to Gonzales’ 42%.

Herrera faced a barrage of attacks and criticism from Jewish and pro-Israel groups in the 2024 race over his stance on Israel and social media videos, but those groups — including the Republican Jewish Coalition and AIPAC’s United Democracy Project — have not intervened against him in this election.

Herrera was also a member of a neoconfederate group.

The Cook Political Report rates the district as “Solid Republican,” but Brendan Steinhauser, a Texas Republican strategist, said in mid-February as the Gonzales scandal gained more attention that Democrats could see the race as winnable with Herrera as the GOP nominee in a potential Democratic wave cycle.

The House Majority PAC, a super PAC tied to House Democratic leadership, has already seized on Herrera’s anticipated nomination highlighting some of his controversial past videos.

Democrats nominated attorney and educator Katy Padilla Stout in their primary this week.

This article was updated to reflect Gonzales’ withdrawal from the race.