NRCC Launches Ad Campaign Featuring Conspiracy Theorist Targeting Rep. Vicente Gonzalez

The National Republican Congressional Committee's latest ad campaign against U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez features South Texan Ruben Guerrero, a self-proclaimed "conspiracy theorist," who has spread theories about 9/11 and the COVID pandemic.

The ad, which is part of an $800,000 campaign in the South Texas market, features Guerrero, a business owner from Brownsville, criticizing Gonzalez [D-McAllen] for prioritizing "sex changes for kids" over focusing on the economy, Texas Tribune reported.

The aid has aired in both languages: English and Spanish across South Texas. Guerrero's voice was also used in a radio ad by the National Republican Congressional Committee.

In addition, Guerrero shared memes on Instagram claiming 9/11 was "the biggest inside job in history ... until COVID." He also mocked former First Lady Michelle Obama by suggesting she was secretly a man and ridiculed U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw's eyepatch, which he used after losing his right eye while serving in Afghanistan.

The ad was made to support former U.S. Rep. Mayra Flores, who was trying to win back her seat for the Republican Party.

Texas Congressional District 34, which ran from Brownsville to Kingsville along the southeastern coast, was one of the state's few competitive races. Both major political parties consider it a top priority to win.

Flores' campaign was not reportedly involved in the creation of the ad. However, Flores does follow Guerrero on Instagram.

"These posts are clearly not reflective of Mayra's views," the Flores campaign said in a statement, Texas Tribune reported. "That said, it's a great ad with an important message about Vicente Gonzalez's extreme record of supporting taxpayer-funded sex change surgeries for children."

In response to the ad, Gonzalez denied ever supporting tax-funded gender transition surgeries for minors, adding, "Not only was their ad full of lies, but their actor is a 9/11 conspiracist who insulted my colleague Dan Crenshaw, a decorated Navy Seal veteran — it's amateur hour over there."

Guerrero isn't the first conspiracy theorist to appear in a congressional ad this year. A Republican candidate in New Mexico's 2nd Congressional District, another key race for Republicans, was also criticized for featuring a 9/11 conspiracy theorist.

However, Guerrero has a small social media presence, with only about 1,700 followers on Instagram. Political campaigns often use regular voters to share their opinions in ads that reach thousands of people.

A political science professor at the University of Texas at Austin, Daron Shaw -- who had previously worked on the 2000 George W. Bush campaign -- said, "There's a question about the overall effect of this sort of advertising on voters' preferences, and that's mixed at best."

"The country is so polarized politically and so siloed that the number of voters who are up for grabs in a given election major party competitions, very, very slender."