Texas House Race Heats Up Over Campaign Spending and Debate Clash
A Texas Democratic congressional candidate's campaign spending on cookies, liquor, and restaurant meals has become a flashpoint in the final stretch of a heated race, alongside a debate exchange about mocking Nazis.
A Texas Democratic congressional candidate's campaign spending on cookies, liquor, and Mexican restaurant meals has become a late flashpoint in one of the country's most closely watched House races, after federal election records showed more than $4,300 in disbursements earlier this year.
Katy Padilla Stout, the Democratic nominee for Texas' 23rd Congressional District, reported five transactions totaling $4,338.14 in March and April, according to spending details cited in an August report and records attributed to the Federal Election Commission. The purchases included $675 for cookies for a campaign event, $1,289.22 at Total Wine, and $2,373.92 at Las Guitarras Cocina Mexicana.
The expenditures have become a line of attack for Republican opponent Brandon Herrera, whose campaign website showcases the cookie purchase and accuses Stout of using donor funds for the treats. According to the spending details, the campaign reported a $675 payment dated March 30 with the stated purpose «COOKIES FOR EVENT.» Herrera's website identifies the payee as Denise Gamboa Zelle and categorizes the expense as a campaign event expenditure.
Additional transactions included $1,089.08 at Total Wine on April 21 and $200.14 the following day, both described as «BEER AND WINE.» The campaign also reported payments of $2,027.52 and $346.40 to Las Guitarras Cocina Mexicana on April 27 and April 28, respectively.
In a statement, Stout said the disbursements «were for campaign and fundraising events which were attended by our supporters.» She added that «sugar cookies, particularly Texas-shaped ones, hold a special place in Texan culture» and that the campaign bought them at a local bakery «because we believe in supporting small businesses.»
The filings establish that the campaign reported the expenditures but do not establish whether the purchases were improper, whether any were for personal use, or how many people attended the associated events. The spending has drawn criticism from Herrera's campaign, which maintains an opposition website, The Real Katy Stout. Under a section labeled «Cookie gate,» the site highlights the $675 expenditure and displays the reported purpose, «COOKIES FOR EVENT.» The website also criticizes Stout's positions on immigration, taxes, and other issues.
The spending questions come as the two candidates compete for a congressional seat representing one of the country's largest districts along the southern border. During a televised debate in San Antonio, Stout also drew attention for an unusual exchange involving Herrera's online videos.
«He made millions of dollars after making jokes online, making fun of Nazis, making fun of all of these things that we know he does not need to be doing,» Stout said in a heated moment during the debate. Herrera responded, «And here I thought making fun of Nazis was a good thing.» Stout later apologized and clarified her criticism after closing remarks. «I apologize, I did misspeak,» she said. «He chooses to goose-step on YouTube for clickbait and money so that he can promote that type of ideology. He chooses to shame women.»
The exchange was part of a debate hosted by WOAI/KABB, during which the congressional candidates also sparred over gun rights, immigration, and the cost of living. Stout told Fox News Digital that «mocking Nazis is fine, and that is not what I objected to, nor is that what my opponent does.» She added that she objects to content that «trivializes veteran suicide, rape, child murder, women's bodies and the Holocaust.»
Stout, a former teacher and child welfare attorney, has emphasized affordability and corruption as central themes of her campaign. Herrera, a firearms manufacturer and online personality who has adopted «Let's Go Brandon» as his campaign slogan, has campaigned on border law enforcement, tax reductions, and Second Amendment protections.
The two are vying to replace former Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales, who resigned earlier this year after acknowledging an affair with a staffer. Texas' 23rd Congressional District stretches from the San Antonio area toward El Paso and includes hundreds of miles of the U.S.-Mexico border. Early voting begins Oct. 19, with Election Day scheduled for Nov. 3. The campaign for Brandon Herrera did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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