Brandon Herrera, a 30-year-old firearms manufacturer and YouTube creator known to his audience as “The AK Guy,” has secured the Republican nomination for Texas’ 23rd Congressional District. The district, which stretches across southwestern Texas between San Antonio and El Paso, was carried by Donald Trump by 15 points in 2024. While the district is traditionally considered a Republican stronghold, Herrera’s campaign has faced intense scrutiny following a CNN review of hundreds of his videos, podcast appearances, and social media posts. The investigation revealed years of derogatory and sexually explicit comments directed at women, including gun-safety activist Shannon Watts.
In one video, Herrera mocked a woman who referred to an AR-15 as an assault rifle, calling her “both fat and wrong.” In other instances, he compared the weight of feminists to killer whales and elephants. In another video, he joked about being irresistible to "fat b—–s" after applying ranch dressing to his body. Herrera has also made derogatory remarks regarding Watts and her children. When questioned about these comments, Herrera has previously defended the material as being part of his comedic persona.
Beyond his comments about women, Herrera has faced criticism for content involving Nazi-era weapons and jokes about Nazis. In one video, he referred to an MP40, a submachine gun used by Nazi Germany, as the “original ghetto blaster.” In another, he was filmed goose-stepping to a Nazi marching song. These videos drew condemnation from the Republican Jewish Coalition during his unsuccessful 2024 primary campaign. Herrera has denied being a neo-Nazi, insisting the material was part of his comedy.
Herrera’s political platform is centered on an “absolute” interpretation of the Second Amendment. He has opposed additional federal gun restrictions and, during his 2024 campaign, criticized former Rep. Tony Gonzales for supporting the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which was passed following the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. His campaign website states that he will fight for national concealed carry reciprocity and block any attempts to pass Red Flag laws. Additionally, Herrera is campaigning on increased border security, restricted asylum policies, lower taxes, reduced federal spending, expanded health care for veterans, and limiting federal government power.
The congressional seat was previously held by Tony Gonzales, who resigned in April 2026 amid a House Ethics Committee investigation. The investigation followed reports that Gonzales had an affair with a staffer who died by suicide in 2025. Texts shared by the staffer's widower showed Gonzales making sexual comments and asking for a “sexy pic” despite the staffer telling him he was going too far. Gonzales initially denied the affair but later acknowledged the relationship in March 2026.
Herrera’s Democratic opponent is Katy Padilla Stout, a San Antonio attorney and former public school teacher who previously taught in the Northside Independent School District. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee added the 23rd District to its list of targeted House races in August, providing national party funding to the district. The seat has been held by Republicans since 2015, when former Rep. Will Hurd took office, followed by Gonzales in 2021.
Herrera first challenged Gonzales in the 2024 Republican primary, finishing second with 24.6% of the vote compared to Gonzales' 45.1%. In the subsequent runoff, Gonzales narrowly defeated Herrera by 354 votes. In the 2026 primary, Herrera finished first with 43.3% to Gonzales' 41.8%, leading to a runoff that was canceled when Gonzales dropped out of the race. While Herrera initially faced opposition from GOP leadership in 2024, House Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, and Whip Tom Emmer endorsed him in 2026 after Gonzales exited.
In a September 2026 interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Speaker Johnson was asked about Herrera’s past comments. Johnson called the remarks “detestable language” but stated he knew Herrera was running an effective campaign and was “explaining to people that he has apologized for all that.” However, there is no public record of Herrera apologizing. In March, regarding the Nazi marching song video, Herrera said, "I standby it, this s–t was funny as hell." Regarding the comments about women’s weight, he stated on Sept. 9, "I forgot I was this funny."
