Rep. Tony Gonzales Drops Reelection Bid After Admitting Affair With Aide Who Died by Suicide Amid GOP Pressure and House Ethics Probe
Rep. Tony Gonzales acknowledged he had an affair with former aide Regina Ann Santos‑Aviles — who died by suicide in September 2025 after explicit messages published by news outlets surfaced — and the bipartisan House Ethics Committee has opened a formal investigation into whether he engaged in sexual misconduct or dispensed special favors. Facing growing pressure from House GOP leaders after being forced into a May runoff with challenger Brandon Herrera, Gonzales announced on X that he will not seek reelection but will serve out the remainder of his term.
📌 Key Facts
- Rep. Tony Gonzales announced on X (March 6, 2026) that he will not seek re-election and will serve out the remainder of this Congress after admitting he had a relationship with a former staffer; he first publicly acknowledged the relationship in a March 5 radio interview, calling it "a mistake" and a "lapse in judgment."
- The former aide, Regina Ann Santos‑Aviles, died by suicide in September 2025; some reporting described her death as self‑immolation. Gonzales has denied any role in her death and said he last spoke with her in June 2024.
- The bipartisan House Ethics Committee formally opened an investigation (announced the day after the Texas primary) and has appointed an investigative subpanel to examine whether Gonzales engaged in sexual misconduct toward an employee and/or dispensed special favors or privileges in a discriminatory way.
- Multiple news outlets published or reviewed explicit May 2024 text messages attributed to Gonzales that include requests for sexually explicit photos and sexual questions, and contemporaneous messages in which Santos‑Aviles told a co‑worker she "had affair with our boss"; some outlets cautioned they had not independently authenticated all the texts, while the New York Times characterized the allegation as coercion.
- House GOP leaders (Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Majority Whip Tom Emmer and Conference Chair Lisa McClain) publicly urged Gonzales to withdraw from his re‑election race (stopping short of calling for his resignation) and said the Ethics probe should proceed expeditiously; Gonzales said he would cooperate with the committee.
- Several House Republicans (including Reps. Thomas Massie, Lauren Boebert, Anna Paulina Luna, Nancy Mace and Tim Burchett) publicly called on Gonzales to resign or face other sanctions; Rep. Luna introduced resolutions to strip him of committee assignments and to censure him, and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries said he would support expulsion.
- Gonzales has publicly accused Santos‑Aviles’ widower of attempting to extort him via a proposed settlement (cited in reporting as up to $300,000), posted part of an email and said "I WILL NOT BE BLACKMAILED;" the widower’s lawyer, Bobby Barrera, denies any extortion and says the correspondence described a potential Congressional Accountability Act claim and a confidential settlement.
- Politically, Gonzales failed to win an outright majority in the March 2026 GOP primary in TX‑23 (reported roughly Herrera 43% to Gonzales 42%), forcing a May runoff he had been scheduled to face Brandon Herrera; after Gonzales ended his campaign, Herrera became the Republican nominee and will face Democrat Katy Padilla Stout in a redrawn, strongly Republican TX‑23. Republican leaders’ handling of the matter was shaped by the party’s razor‑thin House majority.
📊 Relevant Data
In 2023, the age-adjusted suicide rate for Hispanics in the US was 8.2 per 100,000 population, compared to 17.6 for non-Hispanic Whites and 9.1 for non-Hispanic Blacks.
Suicide Data and Statistics — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Based on General Social Survey data, 13% of ever-married Hispanics reported having extramarital sex, compared to 16% of Whites and 22% of Blacks.
Who Cheats More? The Demographics of Infidelity in America — Institute for Family Studies
In 2023, Hispanics comprised 63.1% of the population in Texas's 23rd Congressional District, compared to 28.4% non-Hispanic Whites.
Congressional District 23, TX — Data USA
📰 Source Timeline (24)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
March 06, 2026
7:03 AM
GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas ends reelection bid after admitting to affair with aide
New information:
- Confirms Gonzales posted his decision 'not to seek re-election' late Thursday on X and will finish his current term.
- Details that House Speaker Mike Johnson and GOP leaders explicitly asked Gonzales to withdraw from the race but stopped short of urging resignation, as they manage a narrow House majority.
- Adds that Rep. Anna Paulina Luna has already introduced two resolutions: one to strip Gonzales of Appropriations and Homeland Security assignments and another to censure him.
- Reports that House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries says he would support expelling Gonzales from the House, a rare and severe sanction.
- Specifies Gonzales had been forced into a May runoff against Brandon Herrera, a gun manufacturer and YouTube gun‑rights influencer, and that his withdrawal appears to clear the field.
- Includes Gonzales’ on‑air quote framing the affair as a 'mistake' and 'lapse in judgment' and asserting he had 'absolutely nothing to do' with Regina Ann Santos‑Aviles’ suicide.
6:47 AM
GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas ends reelection bid after admitting to affair with aide
New information:
- NPR/AP piece provides Gonzales’ on‑the‑record statement on X announcing he will not seek reelection but will serve out his term.
- Confirms House GOP leadership issued a joint statement explicitly asking Gonzales to withdraw from his reelection race but notably did not call for his resignation, citing the party’s slim majority.
- Details new internal GOP and Democratic responses: Rep. Anna Paulina Luna has introduced resolutions to strip Gonzales of his Appropriations and Homeland Security assignments and to censure him, while House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries says he would support expelling Gonzales.
- Clarifies that Gonzales had been forced into a May runoff against Brandon Herrera before exiting the race, and that his withdrawal appears to clear the GOP primary field.
- Includes fresh quotes from Gonzales’ radio interview in which he calls the relationship a 'mistake,' denies any role in Regina Ann Santos-Aviles’ suicide, and says he has reconciled with his wife and asked God’s forgiveness.
5:03 AM
Tony Gonzales drops re-election bid after pressure from GOP leadership to quit race
New information:
- Axios reports that Speaker Mike Johnson and his House GOP leadership team formally called on Gonzales to drop out of his race earlier the same day he announced he would not seek reelection.
- The article states Gonzales' decision came after he advanced to a Republican primary runoff with challenger Brandon Herrera in Texas' 23rd District.
- It notes that the House Ethics Committee formally launched its investigation into Gonzales the morning after his primary election.
4:57 AM
Rep. Tony Gonzales announces he will not seek re-election amid House Ethics investigation into affair
New information:
- Fox piece confirms Gonzales’ public announcement Thursday evening that he will not seek re-election while serving out the remainder of this Congress.
- It specifies that he first publicly admitted to the affair on a conservative talk radio show one day after advancing to the GOP primary runoff.
- It reiterates that the House Ethics Committee formally launched its investigation on Wednesday into whether he engaged in sexual misconduct with a female staffer and granted special favors or privileges.
4:54 AM
GOP’s Tony Gonzales, short on friends and options, ends his re-election bid in Texas
New information:
- MSNBC piece confirms the primary vote breakdown in TX-23: Brandon Herrera 43% and Tony Gonzales 42%, with neither surpassing 50%, initially sending both to a May runoff.
- Clarifies that Gonzales announced he was dropping his reelection bid specifically 'on Thursday night' following the Ethics Committee’s decision to advance its probe.
- Emphasizes that his reversal came after a joint statement from the entirety of House Republican leadership urging him to withdraw, and that he will serve out the remainder of his current term.
4:29 AM
Rep. Tony Gonzales drops out of House runoff race after admitting affair with aide
New information:
- Gonzales has now formally announced he will not seek reelection, saying he will serve out the rest of this Congress but drop his campaign.
- CBS specifies that he issued the statement on X on Thursday and did not directly mention the scandal in that post.
- The article confirms the November general‑election lineup: Republican Brandon Herrera will face Democrat Katy Padilla Stout, with TX‑23 still heavily favoring Republicans.
- The piece reiterates that the House Ethics Committee opened an investigation one day before, and that GOP leadership publicly asked him to withdraw from the race while encouraging him to address the allegations.
- CBS adds more detail from the Uvalde police report on Regina Santos‑Aviles’ death, including that she was conscious, told officers, "my god, I don't wanna die," and that she had a husband and son.
- The article quotes specific text messages where Santos‑Aviles told Gonzales, "this is going too far boss" after he requested a "sexy pic," and a separate text where she told a coworker, "I had affair with boss."
- Gonzales is quoted calling the affair a "mistake" and a "lapse in judgment" and framing the surrounding controversy as being "about power and money."
4:27 AM
Texas Representative Tony Gonzales Will Not Seek Re-election
New information:
- New York Times explicitly characterizes the allegation as Gonzales 'coercing a staff member into a sexual relationship,' strengthening the description from consensual 'affair' to alleged coercion.
- Confirms Gonzales’s statement that he will 'not seek re-election while serving out the rest of this Congress,' restating his intent to finish the term.
- Details that Santos-Aviles told a co-worker in text messages of an 'affair with our boss,' and that a lawyer for her husband reviewed sexual texts from Gonzales sent in 2024.
- NYT source attribution: cites a lawyer for Santos-Aviles’s husband, Bobby Barrera, and a fellow staff member as providers of text evidence.
- States that Uvalde Police Department records list Santos-Aviles’s September 2025 death as suicide, without specifying method.
March 05, 2026
7:36 PM
House Republican leaders urge Tony Gonzales to end reelection bid after admitting to affair with aide
New information:
- PBS/Associated Press piece quotes directly from the joint statement by Speaker Mike Johnson, Steve Scalise, Tom Emmer and Lisa McClain, including that House GOP leadership has 'asked Congressman Gonzales to withdraw from his race for reelection' but is not calling for his resignation.
- Gonzales, in a radio interview on 'The Joe Pags Show,' explicitly acknowledges 'a mistake' and 'lapse in judgment,' confirms he had a relationship with aide Regina Ann Santos‑Aviles, and says he has reconciled with his wife and asked God for forgiveness.
- The article gives Gonzales’ timeline of contact with Santos‑Aviles (last speaking in June 2024 before her September 2025 self‑immolation death), his categorical denial of any role in her death, and notes House rules explicitly bar sexual relationships with employees under a member’s supervision.
- The piece details additional intra‑GOP pressure: Rep. Anna Paulina Luna has introduced resolutions to strip Gonzales of his Appropriations and Homeland Security assignments and to censure him.
- The article situates the ethics probe in the ongoing 2026 race, noting Gonzales has been forced into a May runoff against Brandon Herrera and that Johnson is under heavy pressure from rank‑and‑file Republicans while the party tries to preserve its slim House majority.
7:05 PM
GOP leaders urge Gonzales to drop reelection bid over affair scandal
New information:
- House GOP leadership — Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Majority Whip Tom Emmer and Conference Chair Lisa McClain — issued a joint statement urging Rep. Tony Gonzales to withdraw from his reelection race.
- Leadership emphasized the House Ethics Committee investigation should proceed 'expeditiously' and said Gonzales has agreed to fully cooperate.
- The statement came after Gonzales advanced from his Tuesday primary into a May runoff, and after he admitted in a Wednesday radio interview to having a relationship with staffer Regina Santos‑Aviles.
- CBS obtained explicit May 2024 text messages in which Gonzales asked Santos‑Aviles for a 'sexy pic' and her 'favorite position,' to which she replied, 'This is going too far boss.'
- House GOP leaders clarified they are not asking Gonzales to resign; McClain said she hopes he serves out his term, noting the GOP’s one‑vote House margin.
1:16 PM
GOP Rep Tony Gonzales admits to affair with former aide for first time
New information:
- Gonzales, in a March 5 appearance on 'The Joe Pags Show,' explicitly called the relationship with former staffer Regina Santos-Aviles a 'mistake' and a 'lapse in judgment' and acknowledged it as an affair for the first time.
- He stated that he has 'reconciled' with his wife Angel and said he had asked God to forgive him, framing the episode in religious and family terms.
- Gonzales reiterated that he had not spoken to Santos-Aviles since June 2024 and denied any connection to her September 2025 death by self-immolation, saying he was 'shocked' by it.
- The article reproduces more detail about his public claim that Santos-Aviles’ widower attempted to 'blackmail' him via a proposed settlement and NDA, including that the email cited a maximum recoverable amount of $300,000, and includes the widower’s lawyer flatly denying any blackmail.
- It notes that the House Ethics Committee formally opened its investigation the same day as his radio appearance, underscoring the parallel timing of his admission and the probe’s escalation.
2:07 AM
Rep. Tony Gonzales admits to affair with former staffer, calling it a "mistake"
New information:
- Gonzales publicly acknowledges for the first time that he had a relationship with former staffer Regina Santos-Aviles, calling it 'a mistake' and 'a lapse in judgment' in a radio interview with Joe Pags.
- CBS News publishes specific explicit text messages from May 2024 in which Gonzales asked Santos-Aviles to send a 'sexy pic' and responded 'This is going too far boss.'
- Gonzales reiterates that he denies any involvement in Santos-Aviles’ suicide and frames the controversy as 'about power and money,' alleging that her husband tried to 'shake [him] down' with a $300,000 settlement request he characterizes as extortion.
- He signals he will not resign, says he expects to win the GOP primary runoff against Brandon Herrera, and argues that Santos-Aviles’ pay raise was part of a staff-wide pay increase, not a special favor.
- Gonzales concedes there should be a broader conversation about workplace environment and relationships between bosses and subordinates, while continuing to criticize media coverage as politicized.
2:07 AM
Rep. Tony Gonzales admits to affair with former staffer, calling it a "mistake"
New information:
- CBS reports specific May 2024 explicit text messages between Rep. Tony Gonzales and former staffer Regina Santos-Aviles, including Gonzales asking her to send a 'sexy pic' and responding 'This is going too far boss.'
- CBS cites a message in which Santos-Aviles told a colleague, 'I had affair with our boss and I'm fine,' providing contemporaneous acknowledgment from her side.
- Gonzales, in a radio interview, for the first time explicitly characterizes the relationship as 'a mistake' and 'a lapse in judgment,' says he has reconciled with his wife, and asserts the controversy is 'about power and money.'
- He reiterates his claim that Santos-Aviles' husband, Adrian Aviles, was 'trying to shake me down' for $300,000, while Aviles' lawyer again denies extortion and calls it a standard confidential settlement letter.
- Gonzales emphasizes that Santos-Aviles’ raise was, in his telling, part of a 'staff-wide pay increase' and says she was not specially 'reprimanded or rewarded' relative to other staff.
- He signals he does not intend to resign, notes it is his third primary runoff, and predicts he will again defeat challenger Brandon Herrera in May.
March 04, 2026
11:41 PM
House ethics panel investigates GOP Rep. Gonzales of Texas over affair allegations
New information:
- AP/PBS piece confirms the Ethics Committee’s action and scope: an investigative subcommittee will examine whether Gonzales engaged in sexual misconduct toward an employee and whether he dispensed special favors or privileges in a discriminatory way.
- Adds Gonzales’ on‑record response that he will not step down and that 'what you've seen is not all the facts,' emphasizing his intent to fight the allegations.
- Clarifies political context: Gonzales has been forced into a May GOP runoff against Brandon Herrera after narrowly avoiding defeat in 2024, sharpening the electoral stakes of the ethics probe.
- Reiterates key underlying facts: the San Antonio Express‑News text‑message reporting about an alleged affair with former staffer Regina Ann Santos‑Aviles and her September 2025 suicide, ruled self‑immolation, though AP notes it has not independently obtained those texts.
6:55 PM
House Republican faces ethics investigation over affair allegations
New information:
- Fox piece reiterates that the House Ethics Committee formally opened an investigation into whether Rep. Tony Gonzales engaged in sexual misconduct with a female staffer and provided her special favors or privileges.
- It foregrounds Gonzales’ public claim that he is being 'blackmailed' and details his Feb. 19 X post where he shared part of an email from attorney Robert Barrera and wrote 'I WILL NOT BE BLACKMAILED.'
- The article includes Barrera’s on‑the‑record denial that his email constituted blackmail and his explanation that he was discussing a potential Congressional Accountability Act lawsuit and NDA‑backed settlement on behalf of Regina Santos‑Aviles’ widower.
- It recaps that the San Antonio Express‑News first published texts in which former aide Regina Santos‑Aviles told a colleague she had an affair with Gonzales and later died by self‑immolation.
6:10 PM
GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales heads to a runoff in Texas amid a new ethics probe in the House
New information:
- Article confirms the timeline: the House Ethics Committee announced the formal investigation one day after Gonzales was forced into a May 26 GOP runoff against challenger Brandon Herrera.
- NPR adds Speaker Mike Johnson’s fuller on‑record framing that accusations alone should not be a litmus test for removal and that members are entitled to due process.
- Story reiterates that NPR has not independently verified the explicit text messages published by the San Antonio Express‑News and notes Gonzales’ office did not respond to NPR’s latest request for comment.
5:01 PM
Rep Tony Gonzales hit with House ethics probe after aide's suicide
New information:
- Fox story confirms the Ethics Committee language that the subcommittee will examine allegations Gonzales 'engaged in sexual misconduct towards an individual employed in his congressional office' and 'discriminated unfairly by dispensing special favors or privileges.'
- Adds Gonzales’ new on‑record reaction: 'I welcome the opportunity to present all the facts to the committee.'
- Details that Regina Santos‑Aviles died by suicide on Sept. 13, 2025 and that Rep. Nancy Mace characterizes her death as having 'literally lit herself on fire,' underscoring the case’s severity.
- Notes that Gonzales failed to clear 50% in this week’s primary and now faces Brandon Herrera in a May runoff, and that he previously beat Herrera by under 2% in 2024.
- Adds fresh GOP reaction quotes: Rep. Anna Paulina Luna saying he should 'consider resigning' and Rep. Brandon Gill saying 'Tony should drop out of the race.'
4:06 PM
House Ethics panel investigates Tony Gonzales over allegations of affair with aide
New information:
- The House Ethics Committee has formally opened an investigation into Rep. Tony Gonzales.
- The committee is examining whether Gonzales engaged in sexual misconduct toward an individual employed in his office and/or dispensed special favors or privileges in a discriminatory way.
- The investigation was announced the day after the Texas primaries that forced Gonzales into a May runoff with Brandon Herrera.
- Ethics will appoint a separate investigative subpanel and has publicly outlined its jurisdiction and the standards potentially at issue.
3:59 PM
Ethics panel is investigating Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales over affair allegations
New information:
- Confirms the bipartisan House Ethics Committee has officially voted to open an investigative panel into Rep. Tony Gonzales.
- Spells out that the panel will examine both alleged sexual misconduct toward an employee and whether Gonzales dispensed special favors or privileges in a discriminatory way.
- Notes that Gonzales has publicly said he will not resign and claims the public has not yet seen 'all the facts.'
- Adds that the former aide, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, died by suicide in September 2025 after her husband learned of the alleged affair, according to the Bexar County medical examiner and her husband’s lawyer.
6:54 AM
GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales forced into primary runoff after affair allegations shake up race
New information:
- Confirms CBS projection that neither Tony Gonzales nor Brandon Herrera cleared 50% in the March 2026 primary, forcing a May 26 GOP runoff in TX-23.
- Adds detailed content of the text exchange between Gonzales and former aide Regina Santos-Aviles, including his request for a 'sexy pic' and question about her 'favorite position,' and her repeated responses that 'this is too far.'
- Notes that Trump endorsed Gonzales earlier in the cycle but conspicuously omitted him from a fresh endorsement list released the Friday before the primary.
- Clarifies that TX-23, once a swing district, was redrawn in 2021 and again in 2025 into a safe Republican seat where Gonzales won by more than 20 points in 2024.
6:44 AM
Republican congressman accused of affair with late aide to face runoff election
New information:
- Texas primary results: Tony Gonzales failed to win an outright majority in his four‑way GOP primary and will face Brandon Herrera in a runoff.
- Herrera, a firearms‑activist social‑media influencer who lost to Gonzales by fewer than 400 votes in 2024, again emerged as the top challenger and advanced to the runoff.
- Fox reports many House Republicans were privately hoping Gonzales would lose outright so voters, rather than colleagues, would decide whether he remains in Congress.
- New on‑record reactions from GOP members like Reps. Eli Crane and Mark Harris reaffirming that, despite condemning the alleged behavior, they view the decision as belonging to Gonzales’ constituents.
March 02, 2026
7:46 PM
GOP’s Tony Gonzales faces more resignation calls, but holds on to Trump’s backing
New information:
- Adds that Rep. Tim Burchett has joined Reps. Massie and others in publicly calling for Gonzales to resign.
- Reports that during a Corpus Christi event, Trump singled out Gonzales by name, said 'Tony, congratulations,' and thereby signaled that his endorsement and support remain intact despite the scandal.
- Quotes Rep. Troy Nehls explicitly saying there are no principles more important than politics in this context and arguing that a Gonzales resignation would be 'the stupidest thing he could ever do' because of the GOP’s tiny majority.
- Reiterates that most House Republicans privately see Gonzales as 'untouchable' because the conference cannot afford to lose his vote, tying his survival directly to the numerical majority.
February 25, 2026
7:42 PM
GOP’s Tony Gonzales insists he won’t resign as calls for his ouster grow
New information:
- Rep. Thomas Massie became the fourth Republican member of Congress to publicly call on Tony Gonzales to resign.
- Rep. Jim Jordan, when asked if he supports Gonzales’ reelection, answered in the past tense ('We were' supporting him), signaling a possible withdrawal of backing.
- Speaker Mike Johnson gave inconsistent public accounts about whether he has already met with Gonzales regarding the scandal, previously saying he had spoken to Gonzales and urged him to address the controversy with constituents, then later claiming he had not yet met with him.
- A lawyer for Regina Santos‑Aviles’ husband has released additional sexually explicit text messages allegedly sent by Gonzales to Santos‑Aviles; while MS NOW has not independently authenticated them, they have been reviewed in detail by the New York Times, San Antonio Express‑News, Wall Street Journal, NBC News, Politico and the Texas Tribune.
- Gonzales continues to deny any sexual relationship and is now accusing his primary opponent Brandon Herrera and Santos‑Aviles’ husband of trying to blackmail him, even as he largely avoids answering questions about the scandal ahead of next week’s primary.
- Donald Trump’s recent endorsement of Gonzales remains in place despite the mounting allegations and GOP calls for his resignation.
1:24 AM
Texas Rep. Gonzales resists calls to resign over allegations of an affair with an ex-staffer who died
New information:
- Multiple GOP House members — Reps. Thomas Massie, Lauren Boebert, Anna Paulina Luna and Nancy Mace — are now publicly calling on Tony Gonzales to resign.
- House Speaker Mike Johnson said he will speak with Gonzales, calling the accusations serious but insisting investigations must play out, and warned that mere accusations cannot be the litmus test for removal.
- Gonzales told reporters he will not resign and claimed that what has been reported is not 'all the facts.'
- Rep. Nancy Mace announced she has introduced a resolution to force the House Ethics Commission to publicly release reports and records of sexual‑harassment allegations against members of Congress.
- The article notes that if Gonzales resigned, Republicans’ already narrow House majority would drop to 217–214 until upcoming special elections in Georgia.
February 24, 2026