The campaign arm of U.S. House Democrats added Texas' 23rd Congressional District to its target list Wednesday, hoping to capitalize on YouTuber Brandon Herrera's long history of potentially inflammatory online comments to flip the San Antonio-area seat.
The seat, which Republicans have held for a decade, has been vacant since April when U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales' resigned amid backlash from his confession that he had an affair with an aide who later died by suicide.
READ MORE: Speaker Johnson raises money for Brandon Herrera, a candidate he once opposed
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee now sees the sweeping west Texas border district as a path to retaking control of the House, where the GOP holds a slim 218-212 majority.
"Brandon Herrera's disturbing history of extremism, violence, and antisemitic rhetoric puts this open Congressional district squarely in play," DCCC Chair Suzan DelBene said. The addition of the district is an indication the party plans to invest resources there to support Democratic candidate Katy Padilla Stout.
Herrera, who has 4.26 million subscribers on YouTube, appeared to acknowledge the recirculation of his past comments across social media earlier this week at the Gun Owners of America conference in Iowa.
"I had never had interest in running for office of any kind, it's very clear if you watch my YouTube channel - which the Democrats have very clearly started doing," Herrera said.
The DCCC's list of seats it views as potential gains now includes three in Texas. The party was already targeting U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz's 15th Congressional District, and supporting Johnny Garcia's bid for an open seat in CD-35 that was redrawn last year to favor Republicans.
The addition of the 23rd district comes after Herrera has so far outraised his opponent. He also has the backing of House Speaker Mike Johnson, who came to a San Antonio fundraiser for Herrera last week.
From April to the end of June, Herrera raised $435,657 through his official campaign committee and his Brandon Herrera Victory Committee, while Padilla Stout had raised $248,928 during that period.
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This article originally published at Democrats target San Antonio district vacated by Tony Gonzales.