Candidate for San Antonio congressional seat sparks criticism by making light of veteran suicides

A far-right candidate for Texas' 23rd Congressional district, which includes part of San Antonio, is catching flak for poking fun at veteran suicides.

Brandon Herrera, who's running against incumbent U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales in the GOP primary, made a joke about veteran suicides last week on the Unsubscribe podcast. Since then, he's drawn stinging criticism from Gonzales, at least one Texas sheriff and Texas' newly appointed Border Czar.

"If it makes everyone in the room feel better, I often think about putting a gun in my mouth," Herrera said around the one-hour and eight-minute mark of the podcast. "So, I'm basically an honorary veteran."

Herrera continued: "Every person I ever told that to, every veteran I've ever told that joke to, laughed their ass off."


Despite Herrera's instance that vets find his joke to be a knee slapper, not everyone was laughing.

"Special place in hell for scum and villainy who mock veteran suicide or shoot up a church," Gonzales tweeted Sunday as he shared a photo of a headline about Herrera's quip. 

Special place in hell for scum and villainy who mock veteran suicide or shoot up a church. pic.twitter.com/6GtkEUUofx

— Tony Gonzales (@TonyGonzales4TX) February 18, 2024

Terrell County Sheriff Thaddeus Cleveland also chimed in on Herrera's attempt at humor in a lengthy Feb. 13 Facebook post.

"I'm a veteran, I have a son currently serving in the Middle East and throughout my career in the U.S. Border Patrol I served alongside many Veterans of the United Armed Forces," Cleveland wrote. "Veteran suicide is real and an average of 17 veterans take their life each day."

Texas Border Czar Mike Banks commented on Cleveland's Facebook post, calling Herrera's comments "sickening."

Herrera's campaign office didn't immediately respond to the Current's request for comment.

Herrera, also known as the "AK guy," is a North Carolina-based firearm entrepreneur and social media personality with more than 2.8 million subscribers on Youtube. This isn't the first time he's stoked controversy during his run for Gonzales' seat.

Residents of District 23 — which includes Uvalde, site of the worst school shooting in Texas history — lambasted Herrera in December when he posted a Christmas message while holding an assault-style rifle.

Herrera is a staunch critic of Gonzales' positions on gun control, specifically the incumbent's vote to pass the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act passed last year. That measure — the first significant piece of gun control legislation to come out of Congress since in 30 years — looks to prevent another Uvalde-style attack. Three other opponents in the Republican primary have also targeted Gonzales over his vote.

Early voting begins Feb. 20, and the primary will be held March 5.

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