GOP Candidate Who Burned Books And Said ‘Don’t Be Weak And Gay’ Declares Next Move

Valentina Gomez, the Republican who produced outrageous anti-gay videos in a losing bid to become Missouri’s secretary of state earlier this year, isn’t giving up on politics just yet. (Watch the video below.)

In a video on X, formerly Twitter, on Wednesday, Gomez announced she is running for Congress in Texas ― while suggesting she might have designs on the seat that Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R) just won again. And she did it all in her familiar bombastic style.

“I’m running for Congress in Texas and I’m taking down a RINO and a dinosaur once and for all, because Congress is full of crooks like Speaker [Mike] Johnson, who is just a little man with no balls that funds Ukraine and betrays the American people every chance he gets,” Gomez declared. “And Dan Crenshaw, who is only good at betraying his fellow Navy SEALs.”

Gomez then pivoted to what she said were her attributes.

“I’m 25 with an MBA, fluent in multiple languages, former NCAA Division I swimmer, and with many more accolades to my name,” she said. “But here’s the only reason why you should vote for me: because I don’t give a fuck what all those bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., think about me. I’m coming to Texas to speak the truth, cook the crooks and save the children. Buckle up, Texas, because this ain’t my first rodeo.”

The video ends with an image of Gomez toting a gun ― a big one.

Gomez has proven she can attract an online audience with hate. She appeared to burn LGBTQ-related books in one video during her campaign for secretary of state, a job that includes oversight of Missouri’s libraries. In another, she admonished viewers: “In America, you can be anything you want, so don’t be weak and gay.” She also told Black people seeking reparations to “get the fuck out” of the country.

Her audience on X didn’t reflect her competitiveness in the Republican primary for secretary of state. She finished sixth in an eight-person field in August.

“Missouri wasn’t ready for me, so I’m going to fight for Texas,” she explained on X on Wednesday.

HuffPost reached out to Gomez for details about her congressional run.

Crenshaw won reelection in Texas’ 2nd District in November. Gomez didn’t elaborate on her remark about Crenshaw betraying fellow SEALs.