Congressman Tony Gonzales is flat-out refusing to resign from his position, despite growing calls from fellow Republicans and serious allegations that he had an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide, as reported by The Guardian. This whole situation is creating a massive stir, and it’s definitely putting his re-election campaign in a tough spot.
Gonzales told reporters that he has no intention of stepping down. He mentioned that there will be a chance for all the details and facts to come out, suggesting that what people have seen so far isn’t the full story. He’s confident that “ample time” will allow everything to be revealed. He’s been accused of sending sexually explicit text messages, seemingly pressuring a senior staffer to send him intimate images of herself. Eventually, these interactions allegedly led to a coerced sexual relationship.
The staffer in question, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, a married mother of an eight-year-old son, tragically died in September after setting herself on fire in her Uvalde, Texas, backyard. Her death was later ruled a suicide. Reports from a San Antonio newspaper first revealed that Santos-Aviles had confided in a colleague about an affair with her boss, the married lawmaker.
This situation has spurred a number of Republicans to demand Gonzales’s immediate resignation
That same newspaper has since published additional text messages allegedly sent by Gonzales to Santos-Aviles, who was 35. One message, sent at 12:15 AM on May 9, 2023, reportedly said, “Send me a sexy pic.” Further messages allegedly show the father-of-six asking her about her favorite sex positions and fantasizing about having sex with her. According to various Texas media reports, Santos-Aviles reportedly wrote to another staffer, “I had affair with our boss.”
Congressmen Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, and others have publicly condemned Gonzales and demanded resignation. Texas Republicans Brandon Gill and Chip Roy had already called for him to step down. Gill didn’t pull any punches, saying, “America deserves better,” and publicly endorsing Gonzales’s main opponent, adding, “Tony should drop out of the race.”
Nancy Mace has even gone a step further, introducing a resolution to force the House Ethics Committee to publicly release its broader reports and records concerning allegations of sexual harassment against members of Congress.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, who has taken some tough positions recently, addressed the allegations earlier on Tuesday, stating that he would speak with Gonzales. Johnson emphasized that the accusations “must be taken seriously” but stopped short of calling for a resignation himself. Johnson added that if an accusation alone was enough to remove someone, “a lot of people would have to resign or be removed or expelled from Congress.”
Gonzales is currently in the middle of a really tough re-election campaign, and this scandal has thrown it into complete turmoil. He’s facing a challenging Republican primary on March 3, which could definitely lead to him losing his seat. His main GOP rival is Brandon Herrera, a gun manufacturer and gun rights influencer who nearly unseated him in 2024. The race is in such disarray that there’s even chatter about Democrats potentially flipping the seat.
The three-term congressman has consistently denied the affair, previously claiming on X that he was being blackmailed and that the allegations were a political smear. However, he hasn’t yet publicly addressed these newly released text messages.
Published: Feb 25, 2026 10:30 am