Democrat Katy Padilla Stout is campaigning on affordability, health care and education in Texas’ sprawling 23rd Congressional District, where Republican nominee Brandon Herrera’s online remarks have brought national scrutiny to the race.
A San Antonio native, Padilla Stout taught elementary school in Northside ISD before earning a law degree from South Texas College of Law. Her legal practice focuses on child welfare and education.
Her affordability proposals include raising the minimum wage, requiring paid parental leave and shifting tax policy toward working families. She supports universal prekindergarten and student loan reform. On health care, she favors expanding Medicare to cover all Americans, strengthening the Affordable Care Act and increasing access to community health centers.
Padilla Stout calls for bipartisan legislation combining border security with humane immigration enforcement, vetting and reasonable pathways to citizenship. She opposes the proposed border wall through the Big Bend region.
Herrera, a firearms manufacturer and gun rights YouTube content creator known as “The AK Guy,” emphasizes border security, gun rights and lower taxes and spending.
Herrera has been criticized for sexually explicit and derogatory comments he made about women on YouTube. Herrera says they are part of his online comedy and he’s being unfairly singled out by the media who are taking his comments out of context.
Padilla Stout argues Herrera’s rhetoric causes harm regardless of intent and doesn’t fit with the values of the 23rd Congressional District.
The seat, which stretched from San Antonio down to the border and over to El Paso, became vacant when Republican Tony Gonzales resigned after acknowledging an affair with a congressional aide who later died by suicide.
Gov. Greg Abbott has not scheduled a special election, leaving residents without a voting House representative.
Cook Political Report rates the race “Likely Republican,” having shifted it from “Solid Republican” in March. National Democrats added the district to their target list in August, and former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has campaigned with Padilla Stout. Donald Trump won the district by approximately 15 percentage points in 2024.
Texas Public Radio made multiple attempts to invite Herrera on "The Source" to take voter questions, but his campaign declined. Herrera was scheduled to appear on "The Source" earlier this year, but he failed to show up for the interview. The invitation remains available to Herrera if he changes his mind.
Guest:
Katy Padilla Stout is the Democratic nominee for the 23rd Congressional District of Texas.
"The Source" is a live call-in program airing Mondays through Thursdays from 12-1 p.m.
Leave a message before the program at (210) 615-8982. During the live show, call 833-877-8255, email thesource@tpr.org.
This interview will be recorded live Thursday, October 8, 2026, at 12:00 p.m.
