Texas Republican’s Affair With Staffer Derails Re-Election Campaign

Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas said Thursday that he will end his re-election campaign just one day after admitting to having an affair with a former staffer who died by suicide last year. 

Gonzales said in a statement that “after deep reflection,” he has decided not to seek re-election in Texas’s 23rd Congressional District. His announcement comes after he was forced into a GOP primary runoff by challenger Brandon Herrera and calls from fellow Republicans to drop out of the race. 

“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. Through the rest of my term, I will continue fighting for my constituents, for whom I am eternally grateful,” he said. 

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN), and GOP Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-MI) all called on Thursday for Gonzales to end his campaign. 

“The Ethics Committee has announced an investigation into Congressman Tony Gonzales’s conduct, and we urge them to act expeditiously,” the Republicans said. “In the meantime, Leadership has asked Congressman Gonzales to withdraw from his race for re-election.”

That call came after Gonzales admitted to an affair with former staffer Regina Santos-Aviles, a 35-year-old married mother who died in September 2025 after dousing herself in an accelerant and setting herself on fire at her home in Uvalde, Texas. 

Gonzales said on Wednesday that his affair with Santos-Aviles ended in the summer of 2024, more than a year before Santos-Aviles committed suicide. Text messages published last month by the San Antonio Express-News appear to show Gonzales making sexual requests to Santos-Aviles.

On Tuesday, Gonzales was forced into a GOP runoff after Herrera took 43.3% of the primary vote to Gonzales’s 41.7%. Herrera, a YouTuber and gun manufacturer, thanked Gonzales for dropping out. 

“I appreciate Tony Gonzales for making the appropriate decision,” he said. “I look forward to being the voice of TX23 that our district deserves. From the border, to oil theft, water rights, data centers, and many other issues. It’s an honor to be chosen and together we will make Texas proud.”