Brandon Herrera, age 30, is a firearms manufacturer and social media personality known online as 'The AK Guy' with over 4 million YouTube subscribers. Born in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to a family with Texas roots and military parents, Herrera attended Campbell University where he studied pre-law before dropping out to build his firearms manufacturing business, Centurion Arms. He ran against incumbent Tony Gonzales in 2024 and lost the Republican primary runoff by just 354 votes. After forcing Gonzales into another runoff in 2026, Herrera became the presumptive Republican nominee when Gonzales withdrew over an affair scandal.
Born in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, to military parents with Texas family roots, Herrera developed deep interest in firearms and entrepreneurship early. He attended Campbell University for pre-law studies before dropping out to found Centurion Arms, a firearms manufacturing business. Built national profile through YouTube channel launched in 2014, which became source of both popularity and controversy. His online persona as 'The AK Guy' provided platform for Second Amendment advocacy but also generated criticism for edgy humor involving sensitive historical and political topics. Before politics, Herrera focused on firearms design, business operations, and content creation, with no prior political experience or elected office.