Brandon Herrera, now the Republican candidate for Texas' 23rd congressional district after Rep. Tony Gonzales withdrew from the race over his affair with an aide who later committed suicide, is under scrutiny himself for posts featuring Nazi content.
Jewish Insider noted that Herrera also spoke on a podcast last year about owning a copy of Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf, but clarified that he does not share the book's views.
President Donald Trump endorsed Herrera this week, calling him an "America First Patriot" who is "strongly supported by many Highly Respected MAGA Warriors in Texas, and Republicans in the U.S. House."
The outlet, however, noted that only a month ago a lawyer for Trump sent Herrera a cease-and-desist notice demanding he stop using the president's name in campaign ads, saying they were misleading because Trump had endorsed Gonzales.
However, the lawmaker withdrew from the race, which was set to feature a runoff between him and Herrera, earlier this month after increased scrutiny over the affair with an aide who later committed suicide.
Authorities said Regina Santos-Aviles poured gasoline on herself outside her home on September 13, 2025, and died the next day at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. The Bexar County Medical Examiner ruled her death a suicide, and police said surveillance video showed she was alone and that there was no evidence of foul play.
Gonzales initially addressed allegations by saying he would not resign and people didn't "know all the facts" about what happened.
Gonzales ended up acknowledging having the affair with Regina Ann Santos-Aviles. Speaking on "The Joe Pags Show," he said he "made a mistake."
"I had a lapse in judgment, and there was a lack of faith, and I take full responsibility for those actions," Gonzales said. "Since then, I've reconciled with my wife, Angel. I've asked God to forgive me, which he has, and my faith is as strong as ever."
Santos-Aviles' ex-husband, Adrian Aviles, said he discovered the alleged relationship in May 2024 when he saw his wife texting Gonzales and later found messages he described as "very sexual in nature." He said the relationship had lasted two to three weeks at that point. Aviles said he later contacted Gonzales and members of his staff to say he knew about the relationship and intended to make it public, after which, he claimed, his wife was marginalized at work.
Aviles ended up releasing the texts, which which detail that Gonzales asked Santos Aviles for "sexy" pictures of her and asked her about her favorite sexual positions.
As the scandal grew, Republican leadership in the Lower House called on him to withdraw from the race, and the House Ethics Committee launched an investigation into the matter. Gonzales ended up announcing he would not seek reelection.
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