Texas Representative Tony Gonzales withdrew from the Republican primary on the night of Thursday, March 5. The decision came amid calls for his resignation after he admitted to having a secret relationship with his former aide, Regina Santos-Aviles.
Santos-Aviles took her own life in 2025 after setting herself on fire in the backyard of her home in Uvalde, Texas.
Their relationship first became public after Adrian Aviles, Santos-Aviles’ widower, spoke out on the matter. He revealed that his late wife had admitted to having an affair with Gonzales in May 2024. At that time, he asked her to quit her job, but she allegedly refused to do so.
The scandal spread further after text messages between Santos-Aviles and Gonzales came to light. In one of those texts, the Texan Republican allegedly asked Santos-Aviles to “send a sexy pic.” In response, she wrote, “This is going too far, boss.”
— Rep. Tony Gonzales (@RepTonyGonzales) March 6, 2026
Gonzales admitted to having an affair with Santos-Aviles on Wednesday, March 4. It came a day after he advanced to a runoff election in May against Brandon Herrera, who was using the scandal to campaign against Gonzales.
During an interview with Joe Pagliarulo on March 4, Gonzales admitted, “I made a mistake and I had a lapse in judgement and there was a lack of faith and 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,” he added. The House Ethics Committee has since launched a probe into the incident.
Although Gonzales confessed to having an inappropriate relationship with Santos-Aviles, he said that he had “absolutely nothing to do” with her death.
Amid backlash from his fellow Republicans, Gonzales announced his exit from his reelection bid. In a post on X, he wrote, “At 18, I swore an oath to defend our nation against all enemies, foreign and domestic. During my 20 years in the military and three terms in Congress, I have fought for that cause with absolute dedication to the country that I love.”
CNN: Breaking news just in. Republican congressman Tony Gonzalez of Texas has announced he is dropping his reelection bid pic.twitter.com/nrFfSlLZLe
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 6, 2026
He continued, “From overcoming the border crisis to taking a stand with my communities after the worst school shooting in Texas’ history, my philosophy has never changed: Do as much as you can, and always fight for the greater good.”
“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. Through the rest of my term, I will continue fighting for my constituents, for whom I am eternally grateful,” Gonzales said.
