Rep. Tony Gonzales Ends Re-Election Bid After Admitting Affair With Staffer Who Died By Suicide

Rep. Tony Gonzales (R‑Texas) announced he will not seek re‑election.

“Texas Republican Rep”

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He acknowledged an extramarital sexual relationship with a former district staffer, Regina Santos‑Aviles, who later died by suicide in September 2025.

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Multiple outlets reported that Gonzales made the decision after months of denial and amid political and ethical scrutiny.

Arise News described the announcement as abrupt and said he reversed earlier denials.

People reported the March 5 disclosure and identified the aide and her death.

NPR said Gonzales will serve out his current term while stepping away from the campaign.

Politico reported the decision ended a planned runoff matchup in Texas’s 23rd District.

The disclosure immediately prompted a formal House Ethics Committee investigation and public appeals from senior House Republican leaders for Gonzales to withdraw from the race.

PBS and Axios reported that Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Whip Tom Emmer and Conference Chair Lisa McClain urged him to step aside and pressed the committee to move quickly.

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NPR and CBS News also described leadership pressure and the opening of the ethics probe following Gonzales’s acknowledgment.

Reporting across outlets published texts and accounts that underpinned the allegations.

People, KSAT and NBC News cited published or leaked text messages and screenshots that appear to show exchanges between Gonzales and Santos-Aviles, including requests for explicit photos.

Local reporting and other outlets cited the timeline of messages and colleagues' observations that staff were aware.

Mediaite and 590 KQNT also summarized the released messages and noted that Gonzales initially denied the relationship before acknowledging it publicly.

The scandal reshaped the contest in Texas’s 23rd Congressional District and raised broader political stakes for House Republicans.

Multiple outlets noted Gonzales had been headed to a May runoff against Brandon Herrera and that leadership was wary of risking the party’s narrow majority.

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Politico, National Review and the San Antonio Report highlighted party calculations and the possibility the open seat could alter the fall general‑election dynamics, while Axios and NBC reported colleagues’ calls for resignation and sanctions.

Gonzales has publicly acknowledged the affair and described it as a 'mistake' or 'lapse in judgment'.

“I can do that — but I don’t have the article yet”

Axios

He denied any role in Santos‑Aviles’s death and said he has reconciled with his wife.

BBC

He pledged to cooperate with the ethics investigation.

People, iHeart and Houston Public Media reported his apology and reconciliation, while Mediaite and Arise News noted he called for due process and said he 'takes full responsibility'.

Some Republicans pushed for censure or removal from committees.