Brandon Herrera built a following online by making videos about guns. Now, the YouTube personality known as “The AK Guy” is the Republican nominee in Texas’ 23rd Congressional District, which sprawals across southwestern Texas between San Antonio and El Paso.
A congressional race in a district carried by President Donald Trump by 15 points in 2024 wouldn't usually be considered very competitive, but Herrera has drawn scrutiny after a CNN review of hundreds of videos, podcast appearances and social media posts found years of derogatory and sexually explicit comments about women, including feminists and gun-safety activist Shannon Watts.
In one video, Herrera said a woman who described an AR-15 as an assault rifle was “both fat and wrong.” In another,
he compared the weight of feminists to elephants and killer whales.
Herrera is running against Democrat Katy Padilla Stout, a San Antonio attorney and former public school teacher. The race is for the seat formerly held by Republican Tony Gonzales− which includes Uvalde, the site of the 2022 Robb Elementary school shooting that killed 19 children and two teachers. Gonzales resigned from Congress in April amid a House Ethics Committee investigation.
Here’s what to know about Herrera.
Who is Brandon Herrera?
Herrera, 30, is a firearms manufacturer, gun-rights activist and YouTube creator who has built an audience of more than 4 million subscribers.
His online persona, “The AK Guy,” centers largely on firearms, including videos involving the AK-47 platform, gun history, testing and commentary.
Herrera moved to the San Antonio area in 2021 and entered electoral politics after building his online following. His campaign has centered heavily on the gun rights and other conservative issues.
Herrera describes himself as an advocate for an “absolute” interpretation of the Second Amendment and has opposed additional federal gun restrictions.
What has Brandon Herrera said about women?
Herrera's online history has become a major focus of the 2026 campaign.
In one video, Herrera described feminists as overweight and joked that he was irresistible to "fat b-----s" after rubbing ranch dressing on his body.
In other content, he used sexually explicit language while discussing women and made derogatory comments about Watts and her children. Herrera has previously defended controversial comments toward and about women as part of his comedic persona.
What did Brandon Herrera say about Nazis?
Herrera has also faced scrutiny over videos involving Nazi-era weapons and jokes about Nazis.
In one video, Herrera referred to an MP40, a submachine gun used by Nazi Germany, as the “original ghetto blaster.” In another, he is seen goose-stepping to a Nazi marching song. The comments drew criticism from the Republican Jewish Coalition, which condemned Herrera during his unsuccessful 2024 Republican primary campaign for the same congressional seat.
Herrera said the material was part of his comedic persona and denied being a neo-Nazi.
What does Brandon Herrera believe?
Gun rights are at the center of Herrera's political platform.
During his first congressional campaign in 2024, Herrera criticized Gonzales for supporting the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, a federal gun-safety law passed after the 2022 mass shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde.
"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," his campaign website states.
Herrera has also campaigned on increasing border security, restricting asylum policies, lowering taxes, reducing federal spending and regulations, expanding health care options for veterans and limiting the power of the federal government.
He also has a stance on "protecting women's sports," stating he will "ensure that America's daughters won't have their athletic careers stolen by woke leftists that force them to compete with men," as well as "protecting life" and vows to "oppose all government funding for abortion and sponsor a bill that would require medical providers to provide appropriate medical care to infants born alive after an attempted abortion.
Who is Brandon Herrera running against?
Herrera's Democratic opponent is Katy Padilla Stout, a San Antonio attorney and former teacher.
Padilla Stout previously taught elementary school in the Northside Independent School District before becoming an attorney. She now works on child welfare cases at her family's law firm, according to the Texas Tribune.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee added Texas' 23rd District to its list of targeted House races in August, giving the national party a vehicle to spend money in the district.
The district has been represented by Republicans since 2015, when former Rep. Will Hurd took office. Gonzales succeeded Hurd in 2021.
How did Brandon Herrera get into politics?
Herrera first challenged Gonzales in the 2024 Republican primary.
Gonzales, who had represented the district since 2021, was the more moderate Republican in the race. Herrera positioned himself as a more conservative alternative, particularly on gun policy.
Herrera finished second behind Gonzales in the March 2024 primary, with 24.6% to Gonzales' 45.1%, forcing a runoff.
The runoff was extremely close. Gonzales received 15,023 votes, or 50.6%, while Herrera received 14,669, or 49.4% — a difference of 354 votes, according to BallotPedia.
Herrera accepted the result and returned to his online work. Two years later, he ran against Gonzales again.
This time, Herrera finished first in the March 2026 Republican primary, receiving 43.3% of the vote to Gonzales' 41.8%. The result initially sent the two candidates toward another runoff.
But Gonzales ultimately left the race.
Herrera initially faced opposition from some of the Republican Party's top leaders. In 2024, House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republican leaders backed Gonzales, including holding a fundraiser for his campaign. In March 2026, after Gonzales dropped out, Johnson, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise and Republican Whip Tom Emmer endorsed Herrera instead.
Johnson later campaigned and raised money for Herrera at a San Antonio fundraiser in July. In a September interview with CNN's Jake Tapper, Johnson was asked about Herrera's past comments.
“That’s detestable language,” Johnson said. “But I also know Brandon Herrera has been out running a very effective campaign and explaining to people that he has apologized for all that."
There is no public record of Herrera apologizing. Herrera said in March about the Nazi marching song-video, "I standby it, this s--t was funny as hell." In response to CNN's reporting about Herrera's comments on women's weight, he said on Sept. 9, "I forgot I was this funny."
Why did Tony Gonzales leave the race?
Gonzales ended his reelection campaign after the House Ethics Committee opened an investigation into allegations that he engaged in sexual misconduct with a congressional staffer and unfairly provided special favors or privileges. The investigation followed reports that Gonzales had an affair with former staffer, who died by suicide in 2025, according to the Texas Tribune.
Texts shared by the staffers' widower showed Gonzales asking her for a “sexy pic” and making other sexual comments despite her telling him he was going too far.
Gonzales initially denied having an affair with the staffer but acknowledged the relationship in March. He resigned from Congress in April.
Brandi D. Addison covers weather across the nation as the Weather Connect reporter for the USA TODAY Network and contributes to Texas Connect coverage across the state. She can be reached at baddison@usatodayco.com. Follow her on Facebook here.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: What Texas Republican Brandon Herrera said about women, Nazi weapons
