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Brandon Herrera

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Brandon Herrera
Brandon Herrera in 2022
Personal information
Born (1995-11-20) November 20, 1995 (age 29)
Fort Bragg, North Carolina, United States
YouTube information
Also known asTheAKGuy
Channels
Subscribers3.85 million (as of February 1, 2025)[1][2]
100,000 subscribers2019[3]
1,000,000 subscribers2021[4]

Brandon Joseph Herrera[5] (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 incumbent Tony Gonzales in the Republican primary.

Early life

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Herrera was born in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to a family originating from Texas.[6] Both his parents are military veterans. Herrera attended Campbell University, where he studied pre-law, before dropping out to run his firearms manufacturing business.[7] He moved to San Antonio in early 2021.[4]

Career

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YouTube

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Started in 2015, Herrera's YouTube channel focuses on testing and reviewing firearms.[8] Subjects of his videos include tests of antique and military weapons, such as the AK-47 and RPG-7; discussions about gun laws and politics; and a series recreating the assassinations of public figures, including John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr.[7]

Videos often feature guests who have served in the military; Herrera himself is not a military veteran.[9]

Politics

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2024 GOP primary runoff results by county:
  Gonzales
  •   50–60% Gonzales
  •   60–70% Gonzales
  Herrera
  •   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.[10] In the primary, Herrera received 25 percent of the vote, while Gonzales received 45 percent; as no candidate received more than 50 percent, a runoff was held between the two, where Herrera lost by 400 votes.[9][10][11] Herrera called for 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."[12][13]

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.[14][15] After the primary, U.S. Term Limits, a congressional term limits advocacy group, tapped Herrera to be their Texas chair.[16]

Herrera has described himself as libertarian-leaning, often emphasizing gun rights and limited government, but generally aligns himself with the far right.[17][7]

References

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  1. ^ "Brandon Herrera's Youtube Stats". Social Blade. Retrieved February 2, 2025.
  2. ^ "About Brandon Herrera". YouTube.
  3. ^ Brandon Herrera (18 July 2019). I FINALLY HAVE IT!. Brandon Herrera. Retrieved February 1, 2025 – via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ^ a b Brandon Herrera (31 December 2021). 2021 Was A Year... Brandon Herrera. Retrieved February 1, 2025 – via YouTube.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. ^ Brandon Herrera (2024-11-13). I COULD BE THE NEXT ATF DIRECTOR?. Retrieved 2024-12-21 – via YouTube.
  6. ^ "Meet Brandon". Brandon Herrera for Congress. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
  7. ^ a b c 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.
  8. ^ Choi, Matthew; Downey, Renzo (March 25, 2024). "Gun rights YouTuber Brandon Herrera gains momentum in race against U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales". The Texas Tribune. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
  9. ^ a b Svitek, Patrick (May 2, 2024). "Texas runoff between Rep. Tony Gonzales and pro-gun YouTuber is key GOP test". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
  10. ^ a b Spriester, Steve; Barraza, Adam (23 May 2024). "Tony Gonzales declares victory with 400 votes more than Brandon Herrera in GOP runoff for US Representative District 23". KSAT.
  11. ^ 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.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ 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.
  14. ^ Rod, Marc (May 15, 2024). "AIPAC launches ad blitz against Brandon Herrera, challenger to Rep. Tony Gonzales". Jewish Insider.
  15. ^ Choi, Matthew (April 16, 2024). "U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales vastly outraises challenger Brandon Herrera ahead of heated congressional runoff". The Texas Tribune.
  16. ^ Velasco, Donna (July 25, 2024). "Brandon Herrera Tapped As Texas State Chair For U.S. Term Limits".
  17. ^ 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.