Texas congressional candidate burns Quran, pledges to ‘end Islam’ in campaign pitch

Republican congressional candidate Valentina Gomez has drawn widespread condemnation after posting a campaign video in which she uses a flamethrower to burn the Quran while making anti-Muslim threats.

“Powered by Jesus”: Gomez, who is running to represent Texas’ 31st district in 2026, released the video online as part of her pledge to “end Islam” in the state. Before setting the holy book ablaze, she declared, “Your daughters will be raped and your sons beheaded, unless we stop Islam once and for all.” The video features her telling “terrorist Muslims” to leave for “any of the 57 Muslim nations,” claiming “America is a Christian nation” and concluding with her assertion that she is “powered by Jesus Christ.” Texas has approximately 1% Muslim residents.

Doubling down: Social media users quickly condemned the stunt, with many characterizing it as dangerous incitement. “This isn’t politics. It’s incitement. When the mosques start burning, remember: this was the match and the Texas GOP handed her the lighter,” podcaster Brian Allen wrote on X, where the video went viral. The fallout reportedly included the congressional hopeful being banned from all other major social media platforms.

In response to criticism, Gomez told the Daily Beast: “You cannot make peace with a religion that has already declared war on you.” In another interview with FOX 26, she vowed she would “never bend the knee” for a religious ideology that “took the lives” of 13 American service members at Abbey Gate in Kabul four years ago. She also claimed receiving “thousands of death threats from Muslims” in just two days, which she argued demonstrates that Islam is “not the religion of peace but a religion of violence.”

About Gomez: Born in Colombia, Gomez has repeatedly used inflammatory tactics while pursuing political office with little success. Her Missouri Secretary of State campaign ended with a sixth-place finish and 7.4% of the vote in the 2024 Republican primary.

Previous controversies include using another flamethrower to destroy LGBTQ+ books and shooting a dummy to simulate executing an immigrant while advocating for “public executions for any illegal that rapes or kills an American.” Colombian President Gustavo Petro criticized her mock execution video, labeling her “an American fascist” seeking to “unleash hatred against migrants.”