Brandon Herrera
| Brandon Herrera | ||||||||||
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.jpg) Brandon Herrera in 2022 | ||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||
| Born | November 20, 1995 Fort Bragg, North Carolina, United States | |||||||||
| Website | https://brandonherreraforcongress.com/ | |||||||||
| YouTube information | ||||||||||
| Also known as | TheAKGuy | |||||||||
| Channels | ||||||||||
| Subscribers | 3.85 million (as of February 1, 2025)[1][2] | |||||||||
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Brandon Joseph Herrera[3] (born November 20, 1995), also known as TheAKGuy, is an American YouTuber whose videos primarily focus on firearms. Herrera was a candidate in the race to represent Texas's 23rd congressional district in 2024, but lost to Tony Gonzales in the primary.
Early life
[edit]Herrera was born in Fort Bragg (now known as Fort Liberty), North Carolina to a family originating from Texas.[4] At an unknown point of time, he moved to Fayetteville, North Carolina before moving to San Antonio, Texas in early 2021.[‡ 2] Both his parents are military veterans. Herrera attended Campbell College, where he studied pre-law, before leaving to start a firearms manufacturing business.
Politics
[edit]
- 50–60% Gonzales
- 60–70% Gonzales
- 50–60% Herrera
- 60–70% Herrera
- 70–80% Herrera
- 80–90% Herrera
Herrera, a Republican, ran for the U.S. House to represent Texas's 23rd congressional district in 2024, citing a frustration in incumbent Tony Gonzales' votes and gun policy.[5] After bringing Gonzales to a runoff in a packed primary, Herrera lost by 400 votes.[6][7] Herrera has stated that he will call a recount, saying, "I don’t expect the results to change, but I feel I owe it to my volunteers, voters, and supporters to leave no stone unturned."[8][9] Millions had been spent on the race, with groups like AIPAC running ads against Herrera, claiming he had "glorified Nazis and mocked the Holocaust" in his YouTube videos.[10][11]
After the primary, U.S. Term Limits, a congressional term limits advocacy group, tapped Herrera to be their Texas chair.[12]
Herrera has described himself as libertarian-leaning, often emphasizing gun rights and limited government.[13][14]
References
[edit]- ^ "Brandon Herrera's Youtube Stats". Social Blade. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
- ^ "About Brandon Herrera". YouTube.
- ^ Brandon Herrera (2024-11-13). I COULD BE THE NEXT ATF DIRECTOR?. Retrieved 2024-12-21 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Meet Brandon". Brandon Herrera for Congress. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
- ^ "Spriester Sessions: Republican Brandon Herrera aims to unseat incumbent Tony Gonzales in Congress". YouTube. 22 May 2024.
- ^ "Tony Gonzales declares victory with 400 votes more than Brandon Herrera in GOP runoff for US Representative District 23". 23 May 2024.
- ^ Choi, Matthew (2024-05-29). "U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales prevails in primary runoff over gun influencer Brandon Herrera". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
- ^ Downey, Renzo (2024-06-06). "Brandon Herrera to request recount in primary runoff against U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
- ^ Harris, Cayla (2024-06-07). "'AK Guy' wants a recount in loss to U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales". San Antonio Express-News. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
- ^ Rod, Marc (May 15, 2024). "AIPAC launches ad blitz against Brandon Herrera, challenger to Rep. Tony Gonzales". Jewish Insider.
- ^ Choi, Matthew (April 16, 2024). "U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales vastly outraises challenger Brandon Herrera ahead of heated congressional runoff". The Texas Tribune.
- ^ Velasco, Donna (July 25, 2024). "Brandon Herrera Tapped As Texas State Chair For U.S. Term Limits".
- ^ Harris, Cayla. "Who is Brandon Herrera? What to know about the 'AK Guy' and YouTube star running for Congress". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on 2024-06-04. Retrieved 2025-02-02.
- ^ Harris, Cayla. "San Antonio's 'AK Guy' is famous online. Can that take him to Congress over U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales?". San Antonio Express-News. Archived from the original on 2024-09-15. Retrieved 2025-02-02.
Primary video, playlist, and post sources
[edit]In the text these references are preceded by a double dagger (‡):
- ^ Brandon Herrera (18 July 2019). I FINALLY HAVE IT!. Brandon Herrera. Retrieved February 1, 2025 – via YouTube.
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