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.
