# Texas's 23rd District race 2026

Open seat. Brandon Herrera (R) faces Katy Padilla Stout (D). One other candidate is also on the ballot.

- Office: U.S. House
- Rating: Lean Republican (Cook Political Report, Oct 23, 2026)
- Election Day: Tuesday, November 3, 2026
- Canonical page: https://rightnewsrightnow.com/election/tx-23/
- Back to [Election Headquarters](https://rightnewsrightnow.com/election/)

## Who is running

- Brandon Herrera (Republican): open seat
- Katy Padilla Stout (Democrat): open seat
- Ben Mendoza (Independent): open seat

## The facts

- Cook Political Report rates the race Leans Republican as of Oct. 23, 2026. (Cook, via 270toWin)
- Rep. Tony Gonzales (R) resigned on April 14, 2026, after admitting to an affair. (Wikipedia)
- Wikipedia lists the district's Partisan Voting Index as R+7. (Wikipedia)

## Why this race matters to conservatives (opinion)

Republicans must hold this seat without Tony Gonzales on the ballot. Cook rates it Leans Republican.

This section is the opinion of RightNewsRightNow. The rest of the page is reporting.

## Where these facts come from

- [Cook Political Report](https://www.270towin.com/2026-house-election/cook-political-report-2026-house-ratings): current rating, as of Oct 23, 2026
- [Wikipedia (election pages, with their cited sources)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_United_States_House_of_Representatives_elections): candidate and race facts