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

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