Keith Barton
Keith Barton (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]
Barton completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. Click here to read the survey answers.
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.[1]
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."[2]
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."[3] 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.[4][5][6] President Donald Trump (R) endorsed Gonzales in 2026 after not endorsing him in either 2024 or 2022.[7]
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.[8][9] 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."[10]
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."[11]
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. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
General election for U.S. House Texas District 23
Patti Hale Ashe (Independent) and Veronica Williams (Independent) 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
Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 23
Gretel Marysdatter Enck (D), Santos Limon (D), Bruce Richardson (D), and Katy Padilla Stout (D) are running in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Texas District 23 on March 3, 2026.
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| = 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
- Gregory Lopez (D)
- Peter White (D)
Republican primary
Republican primary for U.S. House Texas District 23
Incumbent Tony Gonzales (R), Keith Barton (R), Francisco Canseco (R), and Brandon Herrera (R) 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. | ||||
| 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. | ||||
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 |
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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.[12][13][14]
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.
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia is gathering information about candidate endorsements. To send us an endorsement, click here.
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Keith Barton completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2025. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Barton's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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- Border Security
The southern border must be secured using a defense-in-depth approach, not slogans or single solutions. That means layered enforcement: physical barriers where appropriate, modern surveillance and technology, increased throughput at ports of entry, and real coordination between federal, state, and local agencies.
At the same time, border communities are living with the consequences of federal failure. Many towns are under sustained strain similar to disaster conditions, with overwhelmed infrastructure, law enforcement, and local resources. These communities deserve targeted federal support, infrastructure investment, and economic stabilization. - Energy, Natural Resources, and Water Texas’s strength comes from responsible use of its natural resources. I support expanding domestic energy production including oil, gas, nuclear, and renewables based on reliability, affordability, and national security rather than ideology. A balanced energy approach protects jobs and keeps Texas competitive. At the same time, water access is one of the most serious long term challenges facing Texas. Communities, agriculture, and industry all depend on reliable water. We must invest in infrastructure, conservation, and regional solutions to ensure water security for future generations.
- Rebuilding the Local Economy A secure border and reliable energy and water systems are foundational to a strong local economy. When communities are safe, infrastructure is dependable, and resources are affordable, businesses can grow and families can thrive. I support policies that rebuild border and rural economies through infrastructure investment, workforce development, and support for small businesses and local industries. Border communities in particular must be stabilized and revitalized after years of federal neglect. Economic growth should be driven by practical solutions that strengthen families, restore opportunity, and allow communities to succeed without dependence on Washington.
I support reforms that improve transparency, efficiency, and consistency in family courts, encourage fair and timely resolutions, and reduce incentives that prolong disputes. Strong families create safer communities, better educational outcomes, and a healthier society overall.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
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
- ↑ 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
