Democrat House candidate Kathy Stout is coming under fire for having spent over $4,300 in campaign funds on cookies, alcohol, and Mexican food in a two-month period.
COOKIE GATE: A Texas Democratic congressional candidate's campaign dropped over $4,300 on cookies, beer, wine and a Mexican restaurant, according to FEC records — and her Republican opponent is making it a centerpiece of his attacks. Katy Padilla Stout, running for Texas' 23rd Congressional District, reported the expenditures across five transactions in March and April. The purchases included $675 for cookies, nearly $1,300 at Total Wine and over $2,300 at Las Guitarras Cocina Mexicana. Republican Brandon Herrera's campaign launched an entire opposition website called "The Real Katy Stout" that spotlights the spending under a section literally labeled "Cookie gate." The filings don't establish whether the purchases were improper or for personal use, but the spending questions landed alongside a brutal debate moment: Stout attacked Herrera for "making fun of Nazis" on YouTube, then had to apologize and walk it back during their televised San Antonio debate. Full story here https://t.co/n1U9yYj4LE
— Fox News Politics (@foxnewspolitics) October 16, 2026
Texas Dem Katy Padilla Stout's campaign spent $4K on cookies, beer, wine and food https://t.co/Ku6H48UXql https://t.co/GBJTDDQfxe
— New York Post (@nypost) October 17, 2026
Some campaign disbursements from March and April 2026 for Stout show that the candidate dropped $675 for “cookies for event,” a total of $1,289.22 across two payments for “beer and wine,” and a total of $2,373.92 across two payments at Las Guitarras Cocina Mexicana, a restaurant in Boerne, Texas.
According to the campaign, the huge food and beverage expenditures "were for campaign and fundraising events which were attended by our supporters."
"Sugar cookies, particularly Texas-shaped ones, hold a special place in Texan culture," Stout told Fox News. "We bought ours at a local bakery because we believe in supporting small businesses."
Stout is attempting to defeat Republican candidate and internet celebrity Brandon Herrera, who won the nomination following former Rep. Tony Gonzales’s decision to resign in disgrace at the same time as Democrat Eric Swalwell.
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Early voting in Texas begins on Monday, and Election Day is just 17 days away.