AMNA NAWAZ: A congressional primary election in Texas is getting national attention for what it could mean for the future of the Republican Party and for other incumbents facing far right challengers.

Laura Barron-Lopez has more.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: That's right, Amna.

Like past recent election cycles, more extreme far right candidates are running up and down the ballot this year.

In Texas, incumbent Republican Congressman Tony Gonzales, who has worked across the aisle on a number of issues, faced such a challenge.

Last night, Gonzales narrowly staved off the far right YouTube personality Brandon Herrera, receiving 50.7 percent of the vote to Herrera's 49.3 percent.

To discuss what these growing divides mean for the future of the Republican Party, I'm joined by former Republican Congressman Joe Walsh.

Congressman, thanks so much for being here.

FMR.

REP. JOE WALSH (R-IL): Good to be with you.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Brandon Herrera forced Congressman Gonzales into this run-off and was attacking Congressman Gonzales specifically for voting for bipartisan bills on gun safety, on gay marriage, and Congressman Gonzales barely won by 407 votes.

FMR.

REP. JOE WALSH: Barely.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: What's your big takeaway from this?

FMR.

REP. JOE WALSH: It's a -- it was a unique race because, without the issue of immigration, which is the biggest issue down there, Gonzales would have lost.

I mean, he barely won against a far right gun-loving kook who would have beaten him if that was the only issue.

But I think immigration and I think Abbott's endorsement of Gonzales really helped push him over.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: The Texas governor, Abbott.

FMR.

REP. JOE WALSH: Yes.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Gonzales called himself a Trump supporter, said that he supports the former president, but he is someone who appears willing to work with Democrats and work across the aisle.

Yes, he won, but do you think that there is a future in the Republican Party for more centrist, moderate, bipartisan Republicans?

FMR.

REP. JOE WALSH: No, no.

Well, A, you have to be a Trump supporter.

And even Gonzales, who is thought of as more of a centrist Republican, he's all in with Trump, and he got down on his knees and said the greatest things about Trump during this campaign to help him win.

So you have to be that, or there's no room in the party.

But, no, the base of the party still wants the most extreme MAGA voices.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: And so, if you don't support Trump, you could lose in a primary.

And, I mean, you're someone who rode in on the Tea Party wave.

FMR.

REP. JOE WALSH: Yes.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Do you feel as though you or other Tea Party candidates pushed the party down this pathway at all?

FMR.

REP. JOE WALSH: Oh, absolutely.

We helped lead to Trump.

I have said this often.

The base of my former party is radicalized.

We helped to radicalize them.

And that's a scary thing.

But, in those days, it was where you stood on the issues.

That made you either a RINO or a far right Republican.

Now it's all about, where do you stand on Trump?

And if you oppose Trump, like Joe Walsh or Liz Cheney or Adam Kinzinger, you have no future in the party.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: So, you're saying, in your day, it was more about policy.

FMR.

REP. JOE WALSH: It was all about policy.

You were a crazy Tea Party conservative or an establishment Republican, but that was where you stood on issues like guns and immigration.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: I want to ask you also about some other Republican candidates, one in Minnesota, Royce White.

He hasn't won the GOP primary for the U.S. Senate there, but he has been endorsed by the state Republican Party.

He's appeared next to conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, and he also appeared with Trump's former chief strategist Steve Bannon.

And on -- when he was talking to him, he criticized women.

ROYCE WHITE (R), Minnesota Senatorial Candidate: Let's just be frank.

Women have become too mouthy.

As the Black man in the room, I will say that.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: He's not the only GOP candidate who has made derogatory comments about women.

There's also the North Carolina GOP gubernatorial candidate, Mark Robinson, who has cast doubt or mocked accusations from women during the MeToo movement, has said that he embraces titles like male chauvinist pig, according to The 19th News report.

Is misogyny becoming a pattern amongst GOP candidates?

FMR.

REP. JOE WALSH: Yes, just like bigotry and anti-transgender, LGBTQ feelings.

Look, it's cruelty.

Trump is cruel.

And cruelty right now sells in the party.

This stuff works.

The cruel, mean things that these Republican candidates will say about women or people of color, or, again, transgender Americans, right now, in the party, that works and that sells.

And that's pretty darn sad.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: It -- also, when we're talking about the former President Donald Trump, there's Republican Congressman Bob Good of Virginia.

He's the chair of the hard right Freedom Caucus.

He's facing a challenge from the right in John McGuire, a state senator who attended the Stop the Steal January 6 rally.

And Bob Good himself voted to overturn the election results in 2020, but still Donald Trump endorsed his challenger.

Does this ultimately just come down to loyalty?

FMR.

REP. JOE WALSH: Well, with Trump, this is, again, a total ego play.

Good supported DeSantis in the presidential primary initially.

That really pissed off Trump.

So, Trump -- but Good is -- as you said, he's a crazy, far right, Marjorie Taylor Greene Republican who Ted Cruz, Mike Lee, a number of conservatives have endorsed.

So I don't think the Trump endorsement in this one matters that much.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: But does the ultimate litmus test come down to loyalty and election denialism now?

FMR.

REP. JOE WALSH: Completely.

You -- the harder you embrace Donald Trump, the better your future in the party.

The harder you deny that Joe Biden won the 2020 election, the better you are in the party right now.

And that's not changing any time soon.

LAURA BARRON-LOPEZ: Former Congressman Joe Walsh, thank you so much for your time.

FMR.

REP. JOE WALSH: Thanks.