House Republican leaders have urged Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) to drop out of his reelection bid after he admitted to having an affair with a staffer who later committed suicide.
Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise (LA), Majority Whip Tom Emmer (MN), and House Republican Caucus Chair Lisa McClain (MI) said in a joint statement: “The Ethics Committee has announced an investigation into Congressman Tony Gonzales’s conduct, and we urge them to act expeditiously. Congressman Gonzales has said he will fully cooperate with the investigation. We have encouraged him to address these very serious allegations directly with his constituents and his colleagues. In the meantime, Leadership has asked Congressman Gonzales to withdraw from his race for re-election.”
Gonzales heads to a runoff on May 26 against Brandon Herrera for the Republican nomination to represent Texas’s 23rd Congressional District.
Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, Gonzales’s former regional director, died in September 2025 after she set herself on fire.
Gonzales avoided the controversy until the San Antonio Express-News reported text messages between Santos-Aviles and another staffer:
A former staffer in Gonzales’ district office who worked closely with the aide, Regina Ann “Regi” Santos-Aviles, said she told him they had an affair in 2024, and that she spiraled into a depression after her husband discovered the relationship and Gonzales abruptly cut her off. He also shared with the San Antonio Express-News a screenshot of a text message from Santos-Aviles in which she acknowledged having an “affair with our boss.”The staffer, who asked not to be named, citing a fear of retaliation, faulted Gonzales’ office for failing to intervene, saying he warned the congressman’s district director months before Santos-Aviles’ death that he was concerned about her well-being. He described her as his “best friend” and said their families knew each other.
Gonzales finally admitted to the affair on Wednesday in an interview with Joe Pags: “I take full responsibility for those actions. Since then, I’ve reconciled with my wife, Angel. I’ve asked God to forgive me, which he has, and my faith is as strong as ever. When you make mistakes like this, you know it’s never easy. It humbles you, but it’s important to kind of work through it all.”
The House Ethics Committee also launched an investigation into Gonzales on Wednesday:
The panel said in a statement that it voted to establish an investigative subcommittee to examine whether Gonzales “violated the Code of Official Conduct or any law, rule, regulation, or other applicable standard of conduct in the performance of his duties or the discharge of his responsibilities, with respect to allegations that he may have: (1) engaged in sexual misconduct towards an individual employed in his congressional office; and/or (2) discriminated unfairly by dispensing special favors or privileges.”
The committee chose to start the investigation the day after the primary election because its rules prevents “certain actions within 60 days of a member’s election.”
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