San Antonio attorney Katy Padilla Stout, a Democrat, defeated Republican Brandon Herrera, a YouTube gun influencer, in the race for Texas' 23rd Congressional District. The Associated Press called the race late Tuesday. Padilla Stout received 52.13% of the vote to Herrera's 43.97%, a margin of 22,237 votes.
The district, which includes part of San Antonio and stretches to El Paso, had been reliably Republican. Donald Trump won it by 15 points in 2024, according to the report. It was one of the state's few open seats this cycle. Former Republican U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales resigned shortly after he and Herrera advanced to a runoff in the 2026 GOP primary.
The article said the race drew national attention in large part because of Herrera's online remarks, which it said included comments about children, COVID-19 and veteran suicide. Herrera, who has more than 4 million YouTube followers, has also faced criticism for filming himself firing at child-shaped targets near Robb Elementary School in Uvalde. He had also run against Gonzales in 2024 and lost that runoff by about 400 votes.