Brendan Herrera, a self-described “Second Amendment Absolutist” who built a following of millions through YouTube gun videos, emerged Friday as the uncontested Republican nominee for Texas’ 23rd congressional district after Rep. Tony Gonzales announced Thursday night he would not seek reelection. Gonzales, who had admitted to an affair with a former staff member who later died by suicide, dropped out after House Republican leadership urged him to end his campaign. He said he would serve out his current term, helping his party maintain its slim majority in the House.
“I appreciate Tony Gonzales for making the appropriate decision,” Herrera said in a statement. “I look forward to being the voice of TX23 that our district deserves.”
The abrupt shift reshapes a race that had been among the more contentious Republican primaries in Texas, putting a 30-year-old North Carolina transplant known online as “The AK Guy” one step from Congress in a sprawling district that stretches 800 miles along the border with Mexico — while Democrats see an opening against a nominee whose online record draws sharp criticism.
Herrera’s Background
Herrera moved to Texas from North Carolina in 2020 and built his following on YouTube by posting videos in which he tested firearms on a shooting range. He sharply criticized Gonzales’ support for gun safety legislation after the Robb Elementary school shooting in Uvalde, which is in the district. Herrera lost a close contest to Gonzales two years ago but forced him into a runoff in Tuesday’s primary.
Herrera had drawn attention last month when a lawyer representing President Donald Trump sent his campaign a cease-and-desist letter accusing it of sending deceptive mailers using Trump’s image. Trump had previously endorsed Gonzales.
Video Controversy
Herrera has also faced criticism over a 2022 video. In it, he described a German submachine gun as “the original ghetto blaster” and goose-stepped to German songs. While firing the weapon at a can of White Claw, another man wearing a mask asked Herrera if he was “hiding any White Claw underneath the floorboards?” Herrera replied yes, then shouted, “Gestapo right there!” before shooting a case of drinks, adding, “they did not see that coming” — pronouncing “not see” like “Nazi.” Later in the video, Herrera said, “I’m not really a big fan of fascism,” and said he was making jokes about history.
Katy Padilla Stout, the Democratic nominee for the district and an attorney and former schoolteacher, criticized Herrera over the video on Friday.
“Parents I talk to in #TX23, particularly those in Uvalde, are disgusted that this man could represent our families in Congress,” Padilla Stout posted on social media.
Republican Calculus
The district is the second-largest in the country and was one of Congress’ perennial battlegrounds before it was redrawn in 2021. President Donald Trump carried the district by nearly 15 points in 2024.
National Republican Congressional Committee spokesman Christian Martinez dismissed Democratic prospects. “Texas’ 23rd District is deep red, and Democrats know it,” Martinez said. “While they talk a big game in Washington, they don’t even have a credible recruit and are too busy defending their own vulnerable members across Texas to compete here.”
Some Republicans acknowledged uncertainty. Texas Republican strategist Brendan Steinhauser said his party has to decide whether Herrera is worth the “headache” during a difficult midterm election cycle.
“They’re going to take a look at this one,” Steinhauser said. “Does it hurt the Republican Party to support this particular candidate?”
The party wants to feel the district is “in the bag and off the board,” Steinhauser said, but “it probably won’t be.”