TX-23: A Sex Scandal and 'Mein Kampf' Give Democrats Hope in West Texas Race

[RandySF]

A gun rights activist and hard-right YouTuber became the default Republican nominee in a West Texas congressional race late Thursday after a sex scandal forced the incumbent, Representative Tony Gonzales, to drop his bid for re-election.

By Friday, clips of the challenger, Brandon Herrera, shooting Nazi-era weapons and discussing his copy of “Mein Kampf” were circulating widely among Democrats. Suddenly Mr. Gonzales’s district — the solidly red Texas 23rd — appeared to Democrats as one they could flip in November.

Democratic strategists in Washington were exploring whether to dedicate money to support their candidate in the district, which stretches from San Antonio along the U.S.-Mexico border to El Paso.

The seat was not on the party’s initial list of potentially vulnerable Republican districts. Adding it would mean fund-raising and providing strategy help for the Democratic candidate in the race, Katy Padilla Stout. It also could create an added headache for Republicans, who have already had their hopes of flipping five Democratic U.S. House seats in Texas grow more remote.




https://www.nytimes.com/2026/03/06/us/politics/texas-democrats-brandon-herrera-youtube.html

[LetMyPeopleVote]

1. This asshole has converted a Tesla Cybertruck into an attack vechicle

Link to tweet

[PatSeg]

2. Oh my, Herrera needs to sign up to serve

I'm sure the military can use good soldiers like him to serve in the Mideast right about now.

[RussBLib]

5. is it legal to have a .50 caliber machine gun?

this guy is quite a piece of work

flip opportunity

https://russblib.blogspot.com

[malaise]

3. K & R

For visibility

[LetMyPeopleVote]

4. Republican under fire over 'Mein Kampf' podcast admission

I was shocked that Gonzales got more votes in the primary. Gonzales is an asshole who drove a member of his staff to suicide but he may be better than this asshole/nazi

The Republican Jewish Coalition is blasting MAGA-aligned Texas congressional candidate Brandon Herrera after resurfaced podcast comments in which he discussed owning a copy of Adolf Hitler's manifesto "Mein Kampf.

— Raw Story (@rawstory.com) 2026-03-07T04:00:15Z

https://www.rawstory.com/brandon-herrera

The Republican Jewish Coalition is blasting MAGA-aligned Texas congressional candidate Brandon Herrera after resurfaced podcast comments in which he discussed owning a copy of Adolf Hitler’s manifesto "Mein Kampf."

Herrera, a gun rights YouTuber who is now the de facto Republican nominee in Texas’ 23rd congressional district, made the remarks during a 2024 appearance on the “Unsubscribe Podcast” – after his first failed run for the same House seat, according to Jewish Insider.

During the episode, another guest produced a copy of Hitler’s memoir, which prompted Herrera to reveal he also owned a copy and pulled out his phone to show a photo, the publication reported Friday......

But the comments drew a fresh rebuke Friday from the Republican Jewish Coalition.

“The RJC has a longstanding policy of speaking out against those who traffic in Nazi ideology, and this is another case,” spokesperson Sam Markstein said in a statement. “The RJC opposed Mr. Herrera in 2024, and he will not get our support now.”

Herrera’s path to the nomination in the massive border district was cleared when Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), who admitted to an affair with a staffer who died in a gruesome suicide last year, announced Thursday he would drop out of the runoff.