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WASHINGTON — Pro-gun activist Brandon Herrera launched another primary challenge against Rep. Tony Gonzales this weekend, aiming to replace the three-term incumbent in Texas’ 23rd Congressional District after narrowly losing in a runoff last year.
Herrera, who came within 400 votes of ousting Gonzales in the 2024 primary, is once again positioning himself to the right of the incumbent.
In a 10-minute video launching his campaign Saturday, Herrera railed against the Washington establishment and promised to buck party leaders if given a seat in the House.
“They will attack me because they’re afraid of people like me,” he said, “people they know they can't control.”
The race is promising to shape up as yet another proxy war between the more centrist Gonzales and the right-wing, fire-breather Herrera. A third candidate, Cotulla rancher Susan Storey Rubio, is also vying for the nomination in the far-reaching district, which stretches from San Antonio to the outskirts of El Paso.
Gonzales drew criticism from the right last cycle for his support of legislation tightening gun safety laws in the wake of the Robb Elementary shooting in Uvalde, which is located in the district. The attack became a centerpiece of Herrera’s campaign.
In the last primary, Herrera leveraged his large social media following as “the AK Guy” to rake in hundreds of thousands of dollars from grassroots donors and Second Amendment activists. His candidacy unnerved some fellow Republicans due to the edgy humor he displayed on his YouTube channel and in numerous podcast appearances. He has made quips about veteran suicide, the Holocaust and child abuse that many moderate Republicans viewed as flippant.
His YouTube channel boasts 4.4 million subscribers, and his election announcement garnered nearly a million views within 48 hours.
But Herrera’s online star power was not enough to overcome the deep pockets backing Gonzales last cycle. The incumbent raised $4.5 million ahead of the runoff, thanks in part to influential party figures from Gov. Greg Abbott to Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick, who closed ranks behind Gonzales and endorsed him.
Gonzales’ campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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