Brandon Herrera, the firearms manufacturer and YouTube personality known as “The AK Guy,” announced his second campaign for Congress on August 10, 2025, setting up another high-stakes Republican primary battle against Rep. Tony Gonzales (R) in Texas’ sprawling 23rd Congressional District. The rematch promises to rekindle debates over gun rights and party loyalty that nearly cost Gonzales his seat in 2024.
Herrera’s announcement video, which garnered nearly one million views within 48 hours of its release, positions him as a principled pro-gun conservative alternative to Gonzales, whom he labels a “turncoat Republican” for supporting gun control legislation following the Uvalde school shooting. With a massive social media following of 4.4 million YouTube subscribers and an unapologetic pro-Second Amendment platform, Herrera has demonstrated an uncanny ability to mobilize grassroots donors nationwide.
The upcoming primary represents a second chance for Herrera, who came within about 400 votes of defeating the three-term incumbent in their May 2024 runoff election. Despite being outspent by more than three to one, Herrera captured 49.4 percent of the vote against Gonzales’ 50.6 percent.
The central issue dividing the candidates remains Gonzales’ June 2022 vote for the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the first major gun control passed by Congress in nearly three decades. Gonzales was the only Texas House Republican to support the measure, which expanded background checks for gun buyers below the age of 21, provided funding for states to implement red flag laws, and strengthened penalties against gun trafficking. His decision followed the May 2022 massacre at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, in which a gunman killed 19 children and two teachers and sits within his district.
“If the vote was today on the Safer Communities Act, I would vote twice on it if I could,” Gonzales said in defense of his position, a stance that led to the Texas Republican Party censuring him in March 2023. He became only the second candidate in the party’s history to face such disciplinary action, with the censure resolution pointing to both his gun vote and his support for legislation protecting homosexual marriages.
Herrera has built his political platform around opposition to any compromise on Second Amendment rights, positioning himself as a “no-compromise” advocate who would abolish or significantly restrict the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF). His platform calls for national concealed carry reciprocity, blocking all new firearms restrictions, and opposing red flag laws, which he deems as unconstitutional infringements on due process rights.
His 2024 campaign secured endorsements from several prominent conservative figures, including former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Rep. Eli Crane (R-AZ), and Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, in addition to support from pro-gun organizations such as Gun Owners of America and the National Association for Gun Rights. The Gun Owners of America Political Victory Fund later featured Herrera as a headline speaker at their national convention, cementing his status as a rising figure in the Second Amendment community.
Despite his close loss to Gonzalez, Herrera’s stronger-than-expected performance established him as a major force in Republican politics. His run also validated the strategy of building politically engaged audiences through content creation and subsequently channeling this support base into electoral campaigns. GOA described his 2024 performance “the perfect case study that confirms how important the Second Amendment is as a campaign issue.”
The rematch comes as Gonzales faces continued pressure from the right wing of his party. Governor Greg Abbott and Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick endorsed Gonzales in 2024, providing crucial establishment support that helped him narrowly survive the challenge.
As the primary approaches, the contest between Gonzales and Herrera will test whether establishment backing and superior fundraising can again overcome grassroots enthusiasm and social media influence in a heated political environment where single issues can determine electoral outcomes.
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About José Niño
José Niño is a freelance writer based in Austin, Texas. You can contact him via Facebook and X/Twitter. Subscribe to his Substack newsletter by visiting “Jose Nino Unfiltered” on Substack.com.
