Democrat Katy Padilla Stout flips Texas's 23rd District, ousting GOP in Gonzales's old seat

Democrat Katy Padilla Stout is projected to win Texas's 23rd Congressional District, the open seat vacated by former Rep. Tony Gonzales, according to preliminary results from Decision Desk HQ ¹. She defeated YouTube personality Brandon Herrera, a firearms advocate who had President Trump's endorsement ¹.

With 55 percent of the vote reported early Wednesday, Padilla Stout had almost 52 percent to Herrera's roughly 44 percent ¹. The Cook Political Report had predicted the district would be a likely win for Herrera ¹.

The seat had been vacant since April, when Gonzales resigned. He was facing an expulsion vote after admitting an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide ². Gonzales said he would "file my retirement from office" ¹.

Padilla Stout campaigned on improving the affordability of healthcare and called for bipartisan action to keep the southern border secure while allowing more "reasonable and humane immigration laws," according to her campaign website ¹. She previously worked as an attorney at a family legal practice representing foster children ¹.

From Channel GOPJeffries: House Democrats have taken back CongressHakeem Jeffries · 118 plays · captioned, with the source named

National Democratic operatives put more effort into the race after her primary win, and the party funneled millions of dollars to back her campaign, with former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stumping for her ¹.

The win came as Democrats in Texas notched major victories, including the Senate race, the governor's mansion and several major House seats ². The 23rd District stretches from San Antonio to El Paso, includes Uvalde and extends more than 800 miles along the southern border ².

The district had been redrawn to be more conservative, and Gonzales defeated Herrera in the 2024 primary by only 400 votes ². In the March primary this year, Herrera came out ahead of Gonzales, even though Gonzales had Trump's backing ².

Both Herrera and Padilla Stout opposed border wall construction in Big Bend National Park ². A bill to stop the construction introduced by Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar did not advance, but a judge halted construction last month ².

Nationally, Democrats have won control of the U.S. House in addition to the U.S. Senate, according to The Associated Press ³. Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries said "the American people are crying out for transformational change" ³.

That matters because Padilla Stout's win is one more seat in a Democratic House majority that will reshape Trump's final two years in office ³. Party leaders have signaled they will use their foothold in Congress for investigations of top administration members ³.

The Record

1. Apr 30, 2026Rep. Tony Gonzales resigned from the House in April after admitting an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide, facing an expulsion vote ¹².
2. Nov 4, 2026Decision Desk HQ projected Democrat Katy Padilla Stout the winner of Texas's 23rd District with almost 52 percent to Brandon Herrera's roughly 44 percent, 55 percent of the vote reported ¹.

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<h2>Democrat Katy Padilla Stout flips Texas&#39;s 23rd District, ousting GOP in Gonzales&#39;s old seat</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Campaign Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/democrat-katy-padilla-stout-flips-texas-s-23rd-district-ousting-gop-in-gonzales">The GOP Files</a> on Wednesday, November 4, 2026.</em></p> <p>Democrat Katy Padilla Stout is projected to win Texas&#39;s 23rd Congressional District, the open seat vacated by former Rep. Tony Gonzales, according to preliminary results from Decision Desk HQ . She defeated YouTube personality Brandon Herrera, a firearms advocate who had President Trump&#39;s endorsement .</p> <p>With 55 percent of the vote reported early Wednesday, Padilla Stout had almost 52 percent to Herrera&#39;s roughly 44 percent . The Cook Political Report had predicted the district would be a likely win for Herrera .</p> <p>The seat had been vacant since April, when Gonzales resigned. He was facing an expulsion vote after admitting an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide . Gonzales said he would &quot;file my retirement from office&quot; .</p> <p>Padilla Stout campaigned on improving the affordability of healthcare and called for bipartisan action to keep the southern border secure while allowing more &quot;reasonable and humane immigration laws,&quot; according to her campaign website . She previously worked as an attorney at a family legal practice representing foster children .</p> <p>National Democratic operatives put more effort into the race after her primary win, and the party funneled millions of dollars to back her campaign, with former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg stumping for her .</p> <p>The win came as Democrats in Texas notched major victories, including the Senate race, the governor&#39;s mansion and several major House seats . The 23rd District stretches from San Antonio to El Paso, includes Uvalde and extends more than 800 miles along the southern border .</p> <p>The district had been redrawn to be more conservative, and Gonzales defeated Herrera in the 2024 primary by only 400 votes . In the March primary this year, Herrera came out ahead of Gonzales, even though Gonzales had Trump&#39;s backing .</p> <p>Both Herrera and Padilla Stout opposed border wall construction in Big Bend National Park . A bill to stop the construction introduced by Texas Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar did not advance, but a judge halted construction last month .</p> <p>Nationally, Democrats have won control of the U.S. House in addition to the U.S. Senate, according to The Associated Press . Democratic House Leader Hakeem Jeffries said &quot;the American people are crying out for transformational change&quot; .</p> <p>That matters because Padilla Stout&#39;s win is one more seat in a Democratic House majority that will reshape Trump&#39;s final two years in office . Party leaders have signaled they will use their foothold in Congress for investigations of top administration members .</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/democrat-katy-padilla-stout-flips-texas-s-23rd-district-ousting-gop-in-gonzales">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/democrat-katy-padilla-stout-flips-texas-s-23rd-district-ousting-gop-in-gonzales.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. The Hill, “Democrat flips Gonzales’s former House seat in Texas” (2026-11-04). thehill.com/homenews/campaign/6146238-padilla-stout-wins-tex
2. CBS News, “Democrat Katy Padilla Stout flips ex-Rep. Tony Gonzales' seat” (2026-11-04). cbsnews.com/news/texas-23-district-katy-padilla-stout-brando
3. PBS NewsHour, “Democrats win control of the U.S. House” (2026-11-04). pbs.org/newshour/politics/democrats-win-control-of-the-u-s-h

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