WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) — House Republicans are bracing for the potential loss of another seat as Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas’ 23rd Congressional District says he will not resign amid the latest details to emerge about an alleged affair with a staffer who later killed herself.
On February 17, the San Antonio Express News reported on allegations that Gonzales, who is currently running for his fourth term, had an extramarital affair with former aide Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, who spiraled into depression after it ended, culminating in killing herself in September 2025 by lighting herself on fire outside her home. Gonzales is alleged to have “abruptly cut her off” after her husband discovered the relationship.
Gonzales denied the affair, but an unnamed staffer showed the paper a text message from Santos-Aviles admitting an “affair with our boss,” and an attorney for her widowed husband claimed the relationship was “common knowledge” among the congressman’s staff.
The denials took a hit on Monday after 24 Sight News obtained dozens of additional text messages, allegedly from Santos-Aviles’s phone, depicting direct communications between herself and the congressman, who (according to the screenshots) requested a “sexy pic,” which she refused, followed by questions about “sexual preferences and positions,” which made her uncomfortable to the point of telling him, “this is going too far, boss.”
That report has spurred numerous Republicans to call on Gonzales to resign, including Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, and Nancy Mace of South Carolina.
Bobert urged the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) to redirect its financial support in the race from Gonzales to one of his three GOP primary challengers, gun manufacturer Brandon Herrera; while Mace noted she “filed a resolution directing the Ethics Committee to preserve and publicly release records and reports on all of their investigations into Members of Congress for sexual harassment and unwelcome sexual advances.”
But Politico reported that the NRCC has “no plans” to stop helping Gonzales, while Speaker of the House Mike Johnson told reporters only that “I’ve said to him publicly and privately, he’s got to address that directly and head on with his constituents. There’s a primary there in less than a week, these things will play out (…) these are very serious allegations. He’s denied much of it. We have to allow the due process here to play out, as always.”
Despite the latest details, Gonzales still says he won’t resign. “I work every day for the people of Texas, and there will be opportunity for all the details and facts,” he said Tuesday. “What you’ve seen is not all the facts.”
The Republican primary for TX-23 will occur March 3, with a primary runoff to follow on May 26. In addition to Herrera, Gonzales faces Marine veteran Keith Barton and former U.S. Rep. Francisco Canseco, who held the same seat for one term from 2011 to 2013.
President Donald Trump endorsed Gonzales in December, and earlier this month (before the San Antonio Express report) sent a cease-and-desist letter demanding Herrera stop using his image in campaign ads. He has not yet commented on the Gonzales scandal.
In 2023, the Texas State Republican Executive Committee voted 57-5 to censure Gonzales for stances “in opposition to the core principles of the Republican Party of Texas,” including his vote in favor of former President Joe Biden’s so-called Respect for Marriage Act, which formally requires all 50 states to recognize the same-sex “marriages” of other states.