TX-23 Big Bend, Uvalde
Texas
Not calledEvencloses 9:00 pm ET
Lean Ropen seat
Who's running
Brandon HerreraR
Brandon Herrera is a gun-rights YouTuber with more than 4 million subscribers. He runs a small firearms business. He lost the 2024 primary runoff to Tony Gonzales by about 400 votes, then became the nominee this year after Gonzales quit.
What they say they'll do
- YouTube star and gun maker
- Endorsed by Trump
- Lost to Gonzales by 400 votes in 2024
Katy Padilla StoutD
Katy Padilla Stout is a lawyer and former teacher. She won a four-way Democratic primary. She is running on the cost of living and schools.
What they say they'll do
- Attorney and former teacher
- First run for Congress
- Added to the DCCC target list
The tea ☕
- Congressman Tony Gonzales admitted to an affair with a staffer after months of denying it. He dropped out of the race in March and resigned from Congress in April 2026. The seat has been empty since then because the governor never called a special election.
- Herrera has been attacked over old videos with Holocaust jokes and a 2022 clip set to Nazi music, plus jokes about veterans. His campaign called the antisemitism claims false and desperate.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_House_of_Representatives_elections_in_Texas
- https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2026/10/20/after-tony-gonzales-sex-scandal-candidates-battle-for-texas-largest-congressional-district/
- https://www.texastribune.org/2026/04/13/texas-tony-gonzales-resigning-congress-sexual-misconduct-affair-staffer-eric-swalwell/