Pastor who embraced Farrakhan wins Texas Dem primary, as Nazi-gun enthusiast advances to GOP runoff
Also, a Democratic primary in North Carolina pivoted on Israel and ended in recount territory
Rep. Valerie Foushee, left, and Rev. Frederick Haynes III. Photo by Heather Diehl/Getty Images; Joi Stokes/Getty Images
(JTA) — The Rev. Frederick Haynes III, pastor to Rep. Jasmine Crockett who has praised Louis Farrakhan and whose progressive sermons have included denunciations of Israel, easily won the Democratic primary to replace his congregant in Texas’s 30th district on Tuesday.
Haynes now becomes the likely next congressman for the Dallas-area Democratic stronghold, while Crockett lost her high-profile Senate bid to state Sen. James Talarico (who is also a pastor). His was one of a handful of primary results Tuesday that were closely watched by Jews and pro-Israel groups.
The Baptist minister had criticized Israel in a sermon the day after the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, and has called Farrakhan, the Nation of Islam leader who has a history of antisemitism, “a wonderful and great man.” Shortly before the primary he appeared on the YouTube channel The Young Turks for a friendly interview with Cenk Uygur, who together with Tucker Carlson has promoted conspiracy theories about Israel.
Haynes took an overwhelming 72% of the primary vote, according to the Associated Press.
Meanwhile across the state, Brandon Herrera, a gun-rights YouTuber and firearms manufacturer whose videos have included reviews of Nazi weapons and recreations of Hitler’s suicide, will advance to a runoff in his own GOP congressional primary against the 23rd district’s scandal-plagued incumbent, Rep. Tony Gonzales.
Neither candidate took over 50% of the vote in the West Texas district, though Herrera had secured around 1,000 more votes than Gonzales as of Wednesday morning with 94% of total votes tallied. The runoff will be held on May 26.
Gonzales has faced calls to step down over revelations of an affair with, and sexual coersion of, a staffer who later died by suicide, though GOP leaders did not rescind their endorsements of him. He and Herrera previously dueled to a runoff in 2024, when Gonzales ultimately bested the influencer by around 400 votes.
Since that loss, Herrera’s YouTube persona “The AK Guy” — whose output had already included a 2022 video that called Nazi weaponry “the original ghetto blaster” — uploaded a 2025 video about Hitler’s gun, replete with jokes about Nazis and the far right.
In North Carolina, a Democratic primary where Israel was also on the ballot is coming down to the wire. Incumbent Rep. Valerie Foushee eked out a narrow lead over her progressive challenger, Nida Allam, though the vote appeared to be within the margin for a recount as of Wednesday morning, and Allam has indicated she will request one.
Foushee declared victory Wednesday in a statement to news outlets that emphasized her progressive bona fides including a stricter tone on Israel than she has taken in the past.
“The people of the 4th District demand progressive change like dismantling ICE, ensuring Medicare for All, regulating AI, establishing a Green New Deal, and passing legislation to block arms sales to Israel,” Foushee’s statement said. “This remains my top priority in Congress — no matter what narrative out-of-state groups attempt to cast about my voting record.”
Both Foushee and Allam, a Durham County Commissioner endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, have criticized Israel’s actions in Gaza and sworn off campaign support from pro-Israel lobbyists AIPAC. But Allam was also the beneficiary of a large chunk of cash from an anti-AIPAC PAC, and her campaign still tied Foushee to pro-Israel money — which had spent heavily on Foushee in her 2022 race — at a moment when many Democrats are turning away from such funding sources.
On social media the day before polls opened, AIPAC stated that Foushee had “rejected AIPAC support and we are not involved in or participating in any way in this race.”
