Who is Brandon Herrera?
Brandon Herrera, also known as “The AK Guy,” is a Republican political candidate, YouTuber, and firearms manufacturer who is the presumptive Republican nominee for Texas’s 23rd Congressional District.
He gained notoriety through his YouTube channel, which primarily focuses on firearms and has more than four million subscribers.
Herrera previously challenged incumbent Tony Gonzales for the same congressional seat in 2024, losing in the Republican primary runoff by a narrow margin.
He is also an entrepreneur and a Second Amendment activist.
Herrera advanced to a runoff election against Tony Gonzales in the 2026 Republican primary for Texas’ 23rd Congressional District.
However, Gonzales announced his withdrawal from the re-election bid after publicly admitting to an affair with a former staffer who later died by suicide.
This withdrawal effectively made Brandon Herrera the Republican nominee for the district by default, as Texas election law stipulates that if one candidate withdraws from a runoff, the remaining candidate becomes the party’s nominee.
Herrera’s campaign website states that he will not support sending billions to defend foreign borders while domestic borders remain open.
His campaign has raised over $868,000 in total receipts as of February 11, 2026, and spent over $866,000 in disbursements during the same period.
He will face Democrat Katy Padilla Stout in the November general election.
Perspectives
Concerns about Herrera’s past comments and affiliations
Clips of Brandon Herrera shooting Nazi-era weapons and discussing his ownership of “Mein Kampf” have been circulated by Democrats, who view them as concerning.
Herrera acknowledged owning a 1939 English edition of “Mein Kampf” and has shown a photo of it, stating he found it notable that it couldn’t be bought on Amazon while “The Communist Manifesto” could.
In another instance, Herrera was seen goose-stepping to the Nazi marching song “Erika” in a clip shared on social media, to which he commented, “I standby it, this shit was funny as hell.”
The Republican Jewish Coalition has criticized Herrera for his comments regarding “Mein Kampf.”
Support for Herrera’s candidacy and defense against criticism
Herrera is identified as a pro-Trump Republican, a Second Amendment fighter, and a candidate who opposes all foreign aid.
Herrera dismissed the clips shared by Democrats as selectively edited and “disingenuous” attacks against him.
Some allies, such as Jewish gun rights activist Yehuda Remer, have defended Herrera, stating he is not antisemitic and is a good person.
A former staffer who now supports Herrera indicated that grassroots voters had already grown dissatisfied with Gonzales over his stance on the border crisis, red-flag laws, and votes supporting same-sex marriage, prior to the affair allegations.
