Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) dropped his reelection bid late Tuesday night.
Gonzales finally admitted to having an affair with former staffer Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, who committed suicide in September 2025.
“After deep reflection and with the support of my loving family, I have decided not to seek re-election while serving out the rest of this Congress with the same commitment I’ve always had to my district,” Gonzales wrote on social media. “Through the rest of my term, I will continue fighting for my constituents, for whom I am eternally grateful.”
Gonzales headed to a runoff on May 26 against Brandon Herrera for the Republican nomination to represent Texas’s 23rd Congressional District.
That won’t happen now.
On Wednesday, the House Ethics Committee launched an investigation into Gonzales after he admitted to the affair on a podcast: “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.”
House Republican leaders urged Gonzales to withdraw his bid on Thursday because of the ethics investigation.
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.”
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