Katy Padilla Stout wins Texas 23rd Congressional District race

Democrat Katy Padilla Stout has defeated Republican Brandon Herrera in the race for Texas’s 23rd Congressional District, according to the Associated Press. The victory flips the seat for the Democrats.

Election Results

According to the Associated Press, Stout received 51.7% of the vote to Herrera’s 44.5%. As of 11:30 p.m. on Tuesday, with 79% of votes tallied, Katy Padilla Stout led the race with 52% of the vote, according to Fox San Antonio. Brandon Herrera has officially conceded the race.

Three candidates appeared on the general-election ballot: Republican Brandon Herrera, Democrat Katy Padilla Stout, and independent Ben Mendoza. The election was held on Nov. 3, 2026.

District Background and Vacancy

The 23rd District stretches from northwest San Antonio to El Paso and covers a large portion of the U.S.-Mexico border. The district has consistently favored Republicans in recent presidential elections. In 2024, Donald Trump carried the district with 56.8% of the vote to then-Vice President Kamala Harris’s 42%, a margin of 14.8 percentage points. In 2020, Trump won the district with 52.9% of the vote to Joe Biden’s 45.7%, a margin of 7.2 points.

The seat has been vacant since former Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales resigned from Congress on April 13. Gonzales dropped out of his reelection campaign on March 5 following a scandal involving a sexual relationship with a former staff member who died by suicide in 2025. This event caused the runoff election to be canceled. Gonzales later resigned from his position.

Candidate Profiles

Brandon Herrera, who has more than 4 million YouTube followers, built a following through videos regarding firearms and gun culture. He received an endorsement from President Donald Trump. During his 2024 Republican primary challenge against Gonzales, Herrera faced criticism over a podcast clip in which he made a reference to veteran suicide. The Republican Jewish Coalition spent millions of dollars on negative advertising against him during that campaign. Herrera ultimately lost the runoff to Gonzales.

Democrats have highlighted comments on Herrera’s YouTube channel that included Nazi references and his description of a firearm as the “original ghetto blaster.”

National Democrats targeted the race as a potential seat to flip earlier this summer on their quest to regain control of the U.S. House.

Why it matters

• The election decides who will fill the vacant seat and represent the district in Congress.
• The victory marks a flip of the seat from Republican to Democratic control.
• The district encompasses parts of San Antonio, West Texas, and communities along the Texas-Mexico border.

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Sources

• washingtonexaminer.com: Katy Padilla Stout beats Brandon Herrera in Texas congressional race
• foxsanantonio.com: Herrera concedes to Padilla Stout in Texas 23rd congressional race
• spectrumlocalnews.com: 2026 Texas' 23rd Congressional District race results

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.