Though he publicly touts his multiple successful businesses and YouTube career, he expects voters to believe he only rakes in $80,000 of income and doesn’t even have a bank account.
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Punchbowl: Herrera’s flubbed financial disclosures
Brandon Herrera, the Republican set to replace former Rep. Tony Gonzales in Texas’ 23rd District, is refiling his financial disclosures following questions from Punchbowl News.
There is a massive disparity between how Herrera, a gun salesman and influencer, speaks about his wealth publicly and what’s listed in his financial disclosure reports. Herrera purports to have made millions of dollars in the past and said he’d be taking a large pay cut by joining Congress.
Herrera’s financial disclosure reports don’t reflect that, however.
“Mr. Herrera’s accounting team is working to submit a revised financial disclosure report within the coming weeks,” Kimmie Gonzalez, Herrera’s campaign manager, told us Monday in an email. Gonzalez didn’t respond to a follow-up question about what needs revision in the report.
Herrera posted in October that he’s made “millions before running for office.” The same day, Herrera wrote he’d be “taking a 90%+ pay cut to try and better represent my district.” Most members of Congress make $174,000 a year.
Herrera only reported earning about $80,000 from the beginning of 2024 to mid-August 2025 from his business “The AK Guy” in a December filing. A 2023 filing lists a similar salary.
Herrera also disclosed in 2025 earning “compensation in excess of $5,000 paid by one source” from seven different companies for things like content creator payouts, YouTube merchandise sales and sponsored ads.
Herrera didn’t disclose any other assets, income, positions or liabilities — not even a checking account.
Herrera has millions of followers across social media platforms, with 4.2 million subscribers on YouTube. The San Antonio Express News reported in March that Herrera said he’s made $2 million in ad revenue from his business investments. Herrera said every video he doesn’t make while he’s campaigning could be “an opportunity cost of about $30,000 a piece, at the bare minimum.”
Herrera has also said he partially owns companies called Firearms Direct Club and Stark Media Group — companies not listed in his disclosures.
The Federal Election Commission in 2024 probed a $50,000 loan Herrera gave to his own campaign. Herrera was competing with Gonzales for his border district’s Republican nomination until Gonzales resigned in April over sexual misconduct allegations.
Published: Jul 2, 2026