Brandon Herrera’s kitten remark resurfaces in Texas congressional race
A clip from a previous podcast appearance has drawn renewed attention to the Republican candidate’s remark about Chinese restaurants as voting approaches in Texas’ 23rd District.
A clip of Republican congressional candidate Brandon Herrera joking about sending shelter kittens to Chinese restaurants circulated again on October 21, 2026, drawing attention to an older remark during his campaign in Texas’ 23rd Congressional District, Hindustan Times reported. The remark invokes a racist stereotype about Chinese people and eating cats or dogs.
The clip came from an appearance on The Josie Show last year, according to Hindustan Times and the San Antonio Current. The Current said the episode aired last October and that the social media account @PatriotTakes uncovered the clip this week. Hindustan Times reported that it resurfaced on X.
What Herrera said on The Josie Show
During the conversation, host Josie Glabach described rescuing a kitten after learning its three siblings were on an animal shelter’s euthanasia list. She said she went back to help the other kittens and arranged for a rescue organization to find them homes, according to Hindustan Times. Herrera responded that he disliked seeing animals put down unnecessarily.
“Like, the very bare minimum, they could at least collaborate with the local Chinese restaurant and some sort of like— Don’t let it go to waste, you know?” Herrera said, according to Hindustan Times. Both Hindustan Times and the San Antonio Current described the restaurant reference as invoking a racist stereotype. The remark was made in the earlier podcast exchange; October 21 was the date the clip circulated again, according to Hindustan Times.
The Texas 23rd District race
Herrera, a firearms content creator known online as “The AK Guy,” is running against Democrat Katy Padilla Stout for the U.S. House seat in Texas’ 23rd Congressional District, both outlets reported. The resurfaced clip has brought a past public statement into view during that contest.
The San Antonio Current reported that a poll released Wednesday by the Democrat-aligned House Majority PAC showed Herrera and Padilla Stout tied at 46% each. That figure is the outlet’s account of the poll; the poll document was not independently examined. The Current also reported that early voting runs through October 30, with Election Day scheduled for November 3.
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Sources and context
- Texas GOP candidate Brandon Herrera sparks backlash over joke about sending kittens to Chinese restaurantsHindustan Times
- South Texas House candidate Brandon Herrera says kittens should be sent to Chinese restaurantsSan Antonio Current
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.