Political signs quoting congressional candidate Brandon Herrera have appeared in far west Bexar County, prompting some residents to call for their removal and others to defend the signs as free speech.
The signs, which read “The Gospel of Herrera,” feature a exaggerated photo of Herrera with quotes coming from his mouth.
Herrera is the Republican candidate running for Texas’ 23rd Congressional District against Katie Padilla Stout.
One sign portrays him saying, “Chris Brown your wife,” and another reads, “Kids are c*m trophies.”
The second quote was posted by Herrera on his X account in 2023. It has resurfaced after going viral again during his congressional campaign.
A woman shopping in the area named Bella believes the signs are “horrible.”
However, Tori Hill said they don’t bother her.
“I don’t really care, honestly,” Hill said. “It’s freedom of speech. Whatever people want to, there’s worse things that people have said.”
Other people also raised concerns about where these signs are placed. Some are near a Montessori school and lining Culebra Road, where students of all ages walk home from school.
“I think that’s very explicit,” Chris Hall said. “Just keep it respectful at the end of the day.”
Hall said he supports getting young people involved in voting, but questioned the message behind the signs.
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According to the writing on the signs, they were paid for by a group called Character Counts. However, the organization told KSAT it is not associated with them.
“We want to be clear that our organization did not create, authorize, distribute or endorse the yard signs in question,” Character Counts said in an email. “We have been in touch with San Antonio businesses that may be displaying these signs and asked that they be removed.”
Hill said she wants to know why the signs were placed in the area.
“I just want to know what their agenda is. Like, what’s the point?” she said.
The Bexar County Elections Department told KSAT it cannot enforce rules on signs outside the 100-foot zone around a polling place. The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office said anyone who believes a sign may involve a crime can report it to the office.
A campaign spokesperson for one of Herrera’s opponents, Democrat candidate Katie Padilla Stout, said they did not pay for the signs.
Herrera’s campaign did not respond to requests for comment as of Friday evening.
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