Rep. Tony Gonzales drops reelection bid as House opens inquiry into affair

Rep. Tony Gonzales announced Thursday night that he was dropping his bid for reelection ahead of an Ethics Committee investigation into his affair with a former staffer.

However, the Texas Republican did not announce a resignation from the House altogether — part of the party’s caution around further slicing thin vote margins ahead of a contentious midterm election.

“After deep reflection and with the support of my loving family, I have decided not to seek reelection while serving out the rest of this Congress with the same commitment I’ve always had to my district,” Gonzales wrote in a statement. “Through the rest of my term, I will continue fighting for my constituents, for whom I am eternally grateful.”

Gonzales admitted to an affair with the aide on Wednesday after the Ethics Committee announced their inquiry, and the nonpartisan Office of Congressional Conduct reported it had “substantial reason to believe” he had a sexual relationship with a subordinate in an apparent violation of House rules. 

Earlier this week, Gonzales had advanced to a May 26 runoff election, and was set to face Brandon Herrera in a rematch of a race Gonzales narrowly won in 2024. On Thursday afternoon, House Speaker Mike Johnson and other GOP leaders called for him to end his 2026 campaign — though Johnson stopped short of asking for his resignation.

“The Ethics Committee has announced an investigation into Congressman Tony Gonzales’s conduct, and we urge them to act expeditiously,” Johnson and three other members of leadership said in a statement. “We have encouraged him to address these very serious allegations directly with his constituents and his colleagues.”

Fellow GOP members had previously avoided suggesting the lawmaker resign or drop his 2026 campaign, saying that voters would ultimately decide on Gonzales’ political fate. Some directly mentioned keeping the House majority as the party’s first priority.

But more Republicans, including other Texas delegation members, on Thursday began pressuring him to resign or withdraw. Rep. Monica De La Cruz categorized his actions as “unacceptable” while saying he should step down from all leadership roles, including his position as Congressional Hispanic Conference chair.

Majority Whip Tom Emmer told CNN he’d warned Gonzales in a phone call that he would almost certainly face an expulsion vote if he refused to bow out.

“‘I am asking you to withdraw because you told me something else. And you are now acknowledging that what you told me is not accurate,’” the No. 3 Republican said he told his colleague. “I told him, ‘You put the speaker in a bad position. You put everybody else in a bad position by doing this.’”

Gonzales’ resignation comes as the veneer of GOP unity in Congress has cracked across multiple issues, including sexual misconduct. Rep. Ana Paulina Luna, a member of the House Oversight Committee, told reporters, “there’s a lot there” ahead of filing motions to censure and strip Gonzales of his committee assignments — a rare weapon for fellow party members to wield against one another.

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace also introduced a resolution this week to release all investigative reports into sexual misconduct allegations against members of Congress, saying her colleague is “not the only one” who has faced these claims of inappropriate advances. The measure failed to advance Wednesday after being met with skepticism by Ethics Committee chair Michael Guest, a Mississippi Republican. The full House voted 357-65 to refer it to committee — where the measure will likely die.

Gonzales admitted to the affair in a Wednesday interview with conservative talk show host Joe Pags, calling it “a lapse in judgement.” The representative had previously denied the allegations.

“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,” Gonzales said.

While he did not elaborate further on the former aide’s texts, he said he looks forward to the upcoming investigation and being able to explain “the entire situation.” Gonzales spent much of the interview deriding media coverage of the issue and categorizing the criticism against him as about “power and money.”

The former aide, Regina Santos-Aviles, was Gonzales’ Uvalde district director. Her husband, Adrian Aviles, shared alleged exchanges between her and her boss with news outlets last week. (The texts have not been independently seen by The 19th.) Santos-Aviles died by suicide in September 2025.

The reported text messages from 2024 show Gonzales pushing conversations with Santos-Aviles in a sexual direction, despite her attempts to deter him. The San Antonio Express-News first reported the content of the text messages, which appear to indicate an affair. House members are prohibited from engaging in “unwelcome sexual advances” or having sexual relationships with staffers.