GOP implodes as a sex scandal leads to a Nazi nominee—Democrats are already sharpening their knives

Democrats are eyeing a traditionally safe Republican congressional seat in West Texas, seeing an unexpected opportunity to flip the district in November. This shift comes after a sex scandal forced the incumbent, Representative Tony Gonzales, to drop his re-election bid, leaving a hard-right gun rights activist and YouTuber, Brandon Herrera, as the default Republican nominee.

This seat wasn’t initially on the party’s list of potentially vulnerable Republican districts. However, by Friday, clips of Herrera shooting Nazi-era weapons and discussing his copy of “Mein Kampf” were circulating widely among Democrats. This has transformed the solidly red Texas 23rd district into a potential target for the party. Democratic strategists in Washington are now exploring whether to dedicate money to support their candidate, Katy Padilla Stout.

According to the New York Times, Herrera, known as the AK Guy, runs a YouTube channel with over four million subscribers where he tests firearms and discusses military history. He is quite popular with the hard-right base of Republican voters.

In many ways, his background has set him up for opposition

In an interview on Friday, Herrera claimed the clips being shared online by Democrats were selectively edited and “disingenuous” attacks against him. He stated that he has a career on the internet doing comedy. Herrera suggested that if the Democrats’ strategy involves “clutching their fake pearls” and not understanding the difference between his jokes and his actual beliefs, then the next few months are “going to be very annoying.”

One video shows Herrera with a Nazi submachine gun, which he calls the “original ghetto blaster” and “Hitler’s street sweeper,” while marching to a Nazi-era German war song. Herrera clarified that this video was part of a series where he also tested Soviet and American-developed firearms and joked about shooting Nazis. He also stated that he rejects the “teachings” found in “Mein Kampf,” adding that he also owns a copy of “The Communist Manifesto.”

Padilla Stout linked her reason to join the Democratic primary to Hererra, stating, “My first thought was there is no way I am letting this man represent my children.” She believes that his background as a firearms enthusiast makes him unsuitable to represent a district affected by a tragic school shooting. Stout emphasized that while the district has elected both Democrats and Republicans in the past, “one thing it has never elected is an extremist.”

Herrera had narrowly lost to Gonzales in the 2024 Republican primary for the same seat. He described his victory this week as “vindication” for “the good guys,” adding that he was “glad that we held somebody accountable.” 

When asked about Democrats’ hopes that his online comments would make him a weaker opponent, Herrera countered, saying, “Tony did a great job making the seat vulnerable.” In the meantime, Marjorie Taylor Greene believes that Trump is the real reason why Texas will flip blue.