Brandon Herrera, a gun rights activist and YouTuber running for office in Texas, could soon have a seat in Congress.
Also known as “The AK Guy,” Herrera, who boasts well over 3 million followers on YouTube, declared “war” on the Republican establishment after learning that he was headed for a primary runoff against Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) of San Antonio for the 23rd Congressional District.
“I’m so proud of what we accomplished together,” Herrera tweeted. “Tonight we sent a message. Texas is done with RINO’s. The war starts now.”
The declaration was met by Herrera’s supporters with celebration and commentary against RINOs, a pejorative used to describe disloyal conservative politicians deemed to be “Republican In Name Only.”
“The AK Guy is going RINO hunting!!” one user said.
Prominent conspiracy theorist DC_Draino also called on his followers in Texas to back Herrera.
“Attention Texans in CD 23 – Please vote for Brandon Herrera @TheAKGuy for Congress and send RINO Tony Gonzales out to pasture,” he wrote. “We need pro-2A border closers, not open border enablers!”
Some even joked that the runoff results between Herrera and the incumbent would be determined through a shootout.
“At this rate, Tony G. is going to get in a shootout, errr, runoff with gun manufacturer and YouTuber Brandon ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ Herrera,” one user noted.
Herrera has been active on YouTube since 2015. On his campaign website, Herrera is described as an “entrepreneur, Second Amendment activist, and social media personality.”
“Using a lifelong passion for firearms, he was able to build his business as well as a large social media following,” his website states. “Accumulating over half a billion views using entertainment to promote firearm safety and 2nd amendment advocacy, he has become a leader in the industry.”
Herrera cites the “government overreach during the COVID lockdowns of 2020” as one of the reasons he decided to run for political office.
“Brandon is a very strong constitutionalist who believes one of the keys to individual Liberty is limiting federal power as much as possible, and returning that power to the states to decide issues for themselves,” the description adds.
While Herrera does not have an “Issues” page on his website to detail his intended policies, his support for the Second Amendment is apparent.
In response to a recent post on X in which President Joe Biden called for a ban on assault weapons, Herrera responded: “Lol, shut the fuck up.”
Whether Hererra will be able to garner enough support to defeat Gonzales remains unclear. The Republican and Democratic primary runoffs will be on May 28.
