Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) announced Thursday night that he will not seek reelection after admitting to an affair with a former staffer who later died by suicide. The revelation prompted a House ethics investigation and increased pressure from House GOP leadership.
Gonzales acknowledged he had a sexual relationship with Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, a staffer in his district office, during an interview one day after he was forced into a runoff election.
Santos-Aviles, a married mother who served as a regional director in Gonzales’ Uvalde office, died by suicide in September 2025 after setting herself on fire.
Text messages released by her widowed husband appeared to show Gonzales requesting explicit photos and aggressively pursuing the relationship while she worked for him.
The House Ethics Committee opened an investigation into potential sexual misconduct and abuse of power, which would violate congressional rules governing relationships between members of Congress and staff. The probe reportedly found “substantial reason to believe” Gonzales had a sexual relationship with Santos-Aviles.
As the scandal intensified, more Republican lawmakers called for Gonzales to resign. Leading the effort were Reps. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), and Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.).
Gonzales said he will serve the remainder of his current term but will not run in the 2026 election after what he described as “deep reflection.”
He had already been forced into a Republican primary runoff in Texas’ 23rd Congressional District after finishing a close second in a crowded race where no one secured a majority.
With Gonzales’s withdrawal, gun rights influencer and firearms manufacturer Brandon Herrera becomes the Republican nominee.
Gonzales described the relationship as a “lapse in judgment,” said he reconciled with his wife, denied any involvement in Santos-Aviles’ death, and said he had received forgiveness from God.
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Gee. Bad news. That never stopped a Democrat, however.