Brandon Herrera
Brandon Herrera (Republican Party) is running for election to the U.S. House to represent Texas' 23rd Congressional District. He is on the ballot in the Republican primary on March 3, 2026.[source]
Biography
Herrera attended Campbell College, where he studied pre-law, before leaving to start a firearms manufacturing business. As of the 2024 election, Herrera was the host of a YouTube channel focused on firearms-related content with more than 3 million subscribers.[1]
2026 battleground election
Ballotpedia identified the March 3 Republican primary for Texas' 23rd Congressional District as a battleground election. The summary below is from our coverage of this election, found here.
Incumbent Tony Gonzales (R), Keith Barton (R), Francisco Canseco (R), and Brandon Herrera (R) are running in the Republican primary for Texas' 23rd Congressional District on March 3, 2026. The filing deadline was December 8, 2025. As of January 2026, Gonzales and Herrera led in fundraising and local media attention.[2]
This is a rematch of the 2024 primary. Gonzales defeated Herrera 50.6%–49.4% in the runoff after neither candidate won a majority in the primary. The Texas Tribune's Owen Dahlkamp described the 2026 primary as "yet another proxy war between the more centrist Gonzales and the right-wing, fire-breather Herrera."[3]
Gonzales was first elected to the House in 2020. The Texas Tribune's Renzo Downey described Gonzales as "a centrist from San Antonio and U.S. Navy veteran."[4] Gonzales highlighted the following accomplishments and says he has delivered for the district during his three terms in office: securing funding to hire more than 100 police officers in the district, opening a South Texas facility for treating the screwworm livestock parasite, and appropriating more than $4.7 billion in funding for healthcare for veterans.[5][6][7] President Donald Trump (R) endorsed Gonzales in 2026 after not endorsing him in either 2024 or 2022.[8]
Herrera describes himself as "an entrepreneur, Second Amendment activist, and social media personality" who owns a firearms manufacturing company (The AK Guy) and operates a firearms-related YouTube channel.[9][10] In his 2026 campaign kickoff, Herrera said, "It started to eat at me. Those things that I didn't like about D.C., about my congressman, they didn't change...as much as it's more comfortable to just look the other way, I can't bow out of a fight if I know I can make a difference. It's just not how I'm wired."[11]
As of January 2026, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter, Inside Elections with Nathan L. Gonzales, and Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball each rated the general election Safe/Solid Republican. In the 2024 election, Gonzales defeated Santos Limon (D) 62.3%–32.7%. An Inside Elections analysis of the August 2025 redistricting in Texas found that "Rep. Tony Gonzales’s 23rd District remains Solid Republican."[12]
Elections
2026
See also: Texas' 23rd Congressional District election, 2026
General election
The primary will occur on March 3, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. Additional general election candidates will be added here following the primary.
General election for U.S. House Texas District 23
Patti Hale Ashe and Veronica Williams are running in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 23 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| Patti Hale Ashe (Independent) | ||
| Veronica Williams (Independent) | ||
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 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 23
Gretel Marysdatter Enck, Santos Limon, Bruce Richardson, and Katy Padilla Stout are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 23 on March 3, 2026.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Peter White (D)
- Gregory Lopez (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 23
Incumbent Tony Gonzales, Keith Barton, Francisco Canseco, and Brandon Herrera are running in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 23 on March 3, 2026.
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| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Polls
- See also: Ballotpedia's approach to covering polls
We provide results for polls that are included in polling aggregation from RealClearPolitics, when available. We will regularly check for polling aggregation for this race and add polls here once available. To notify us of polls available for this race, please email us.
Election campaign finance
| Name | Party | Receipts* | Disbursements** | Cash on hand | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony Gonzales | Republican Party | $1,508,588 | $463,895 | $2,503,680 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Keith Barton | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $0 | Data not available*** |
| Francisco Canseco | Republican Party | $0 | $0 | $127,821 | As of September 30, 2025 |
| Brandon Herrera | Republican Party | $307,272 | $9,221 | $306,092 | As of September 30, 2025 |
|
Source: Federal Elections Commission, "Campaign finance data," 2026. This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* According to the FEC, "Receipts are anything of value (money, goods, services or property) received by a political committee." |
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Satellite spending
- See also: Satellite spending
Satellite spending describes political spending not controlled by candidates or their campaigns; that is, any political expenditures made by groups or individuals that are not directly affiliated with a candidate. This includes spending by political party committees, super PACs, trade associations, and 501(c)(4) nonprofit groups.[13][14][15]
If available, this section includes links to online resources tracking satellite spending in this election. To notify us of a resource to add, email us.
| By candidate | By election |
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
2024
See also: Texas' 23rd Congressional District election, 2024
Texas' 23rd Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 Democratic primary)
Texas' 23rd Congressional District election, 2024 (March 5 Republican primary)
General election
General election for U.S. House Texas District 23
Incumbent Tony Gonzales defeated Santos Limon in the general election for U.S. House Texas District 23 on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Tony Gonzales (R) | 62.3 | 180,720 |
 | Santos Limon (D) | 37.7 | 109,373 | |
| Total votes: 290,093 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Republican primary runoff election
Republican primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 23
Incumbent Tony Gonzales defeated Brandon Herrera in the Republican primary runoff for U.S. House Texas District 23 on May 28, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tony Gonzales | 50.6 | 15,023 |
 | Brandon Herrera | 49.4 | 14,669 | |
| Total votes: 29,692 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 23
Santos Limon defeated Lee Bausinger in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 23 on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Santos Limon | 58.5 | 16,316 |
 | Lee Bausinger | 41.5 | 11,577 | |
| Total votes: 27,893 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Rocco Ciappa (D)
- Gregory Lopez (D)
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 23
Incumbent Tony Gonzales and Brandon Herrera advanced to a runoff. They defeated Julie Clark, Francisco Lopez, and Victor Avila in the Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 23 on March 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Tony Gonzales | 45.1 | 25,988 |
| ✔ | | Brandon Herrera | 24.6 | 14,201 |
 | Julie Clark | 13.9 | 7,994 | |
 | Francisco Lopez | 10.9 | 6,266 | |
 | Victor Avila | 5.5 | 3,181 | |
| Total votes: 57,630 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
Herrera received the following endorsements.
- U.S. Rep. Eli Crane (R)
- U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R)
- U.S. Rep. Bob Good (R)
- Texas Commissioner of Agriculture Sid Miller (R)
- Gun Owners of America
- National Association for Gun Rights
- Austin Petersen (R) - Commentator
- Kyle Rittenhouse - Conservative activist
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
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You can ask Brandon Herrera to fill out this survey by using the buttons below or emailing info@brandonherreraforcongress.com.
Campaign website
Herrera's campaign website stated the following:
Solving the Border Crisis
Texas deserves secure borders. Brandon will oppose any spending bill that does not fund the completion of the border wall, reinstate the “Remain in Mexico” policy, and end the abuse of the asylum system. Our communities deserve safety, security, and the rule of law.
Texas’s 23rd District spans 843 miles along the Texas–Mexico border, from western San Antonio to El Paso. It includes urban neighborhoods and remote rural counties. Rural voices—families, farmers, and ranchers—deserve a representative who actively shows up, listens, and fights for strong border security and a fair say in Washington.
Cutting Taxes, Spending, and Regulation
Brandon has taken the "No New Taxes" pledge and will fight to rein in wasteful government spending that fuels inflation. He’ll sponsor the REINS Act to ensure Congress reviews and approves major federal regulations. Texans deserve a government that works for them, not against them.
Improving Veterans’ Healthcare
Brandon will make sure America keeps its promise to our veterans. He will work to expand Tricare so every veteran can see the doctor of their choice, and he will have two full-time staffers, one in the district and one in Washington, dedicated to helping veterans get the care and benefits they’ve earned.
Defending Gun Rights
As a strong defender of the Second Amendment, Brandon will fight for national concealed carry reciprocity and block any attempt to pass Red Flag laws or impose new firearms restrictions. He will also work to increase funding for firearm training for school staff, ensuring our children are better protected.
Protecting Life
Brandon is committed to defending life at every stage. He will oppose all government funding for abortion and, on day one, sponsor the Infant Born Alive Act to protect the lives of children who survive attempted abortions.
Enacting Term Limits
Brandon has signed the US Term Limits Pledge and will co-sponsor a constitutional amendment to limit members of the House to three terms and Senators to two. Now more than ever before, the need for term limits is crystal clear. Polls show that one issue that unites all Texans regardless of political affiliation is the need for congressional term limits. For many, serving in Congress has become a lifelong entitlement rather than a public service. Term limits will help improve accountability, diversify Congress, and make government work better for all Americans. It’s time to restore the citizen legislature our Founders intended.
School Choice and Protecting Homeschooling
Parents, not bureaucrats, should decide how their children are educated. Brandon will sponsor legislation ensuring education dollars follow the student, whether they attend public, private, or parochial school, and will defend the God-given right of parents to homeschool.
Opposing Endless Wars
Brandon will not support sending billions to defend foreign borders while our own remain open. He will vote to bring our troops home from places like Syria and Iraq where we have no clear national interest.
Protecting Social Security and Medicare
Brandon will oppose cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits that seniors rely on. He supports expanding investment options for younger workers so these programs remain strong for future generations.
Standing with President Trump
Brandon proudly endorses Donald J. Trump for President and worked on his campaign in 2016.
— Brandon Herrera's campaign website (November 21, 2025)
Campaign ads
View more ads here:
2024
Brandon Herrera did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Brandon Herrera campaign website, "About," accessed December 21, 2023
- ↑ Austin American-Statesman, "Trump endorses Tony Gonzales in GOP rematch against Brandon Herrera," December 19, 2025
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "Gun rights YouTuber Brandon Herrera to challenge U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales again in GOP primary," August 11, 2025
- ↑ The Texas Tribune, "U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales draws GOP primary challenge from Cotulla rancher Susan Storey Rubio," June 12, 2025
- ↑ Tony Gonzales campaign website, "Law Enforcement Backs Tony Gonzales," September 30, 2025
- ↑ Tony Gonzales campaign website, "MAJOR Screwworm Update," June 18, 2025
- ↑ Tony Gonzales campaign website, "Issues," accessed October 10, 2025
- ↑ X.com, "Gabby Birenbaum on December 18, 2025," accessed December 19, 2025
- ↑ Brandon Herrera campaign website, "Home page," accessed October 10, 2025
- ↑ The AK Guy, "Home page," accessed October 10, 2025
- ↑ YouTube, "Brandon Herrera on YouTube - I'm Running for Congress," August 9, 2025
- ↑ Inside Elections, "A Detailed Analysis of Texas’ New Congressional Map," August 27, 2025
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Outside Spending," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ OpenSecrets.org, "Total Outside Spending by Election Cycle, All Groups," accessed December 12, 2021
- ↑ National Review.com, "Why the Media Hate Super PACs," December 12, 2021
