As voters head to the polls for a GOP primary runoff in Texas’ 23rd Congressional District this month, U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales is getting campaign help from actor Matthew McConaughey, while his primary opponent Brandon Herrera is rallying with social media and TV personalities.
This month the Dazed and Confused actor recorded robocalls asking voters to support Gonzales in the May 28 runoff election, saying the congressman “shows up in the good times, but he also shows up in the tough times.”
McConaughey and Gonzales reportedly became friends after the Uvalde school shooting, when the two spent several days together visiting with grieving parents. Afterward, McConaughey went on to become an outspoken proponent for gun safety, while Gonzales broke with his party to support a narrow gun safety measure in Congress.
Now, Gonzales is fighting to keep his job in a contentious race against firearms manufacturer Brandon Herrera, who amassed 3.4 million YouTube subscribers through videos he created about historic guns and gun culture. He’s known to fans as “The AK Guy,” a reference to his preferred style of rifle.
Herrera took 25% of the vote in the five-way March primary, to Gonzales’ 45%.
On Monday, Herrera campaigned with one of Gonzales’ adversaries in Congress, U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Florida), at the Thirsty Horse Saloon.
But the stars of that event were also some nontraditional political supporters: Army veteran Eli “Double Tap” Cuevas, a TV personality from Brothers in Arms, and Cody “Donut Operator” Garrett, a YouTube creator based in the San Antonio area who has 4.9 million subscribers.
“There’s only one person in the world that I would do public speaking for, and it’s Brandon Herrera,” Garrett said. “I fully believe in him and I think that he’s going to be just an amazing person for this district.”
Earlier this month Herrera also campaigned with Kyle Rittenhouse, who shot and killed two men during a Black Lives Matter protest in Wisconsin in 2020.
