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Congressman Tony Gonzales Pulls Plug on Re-Election After Aide’s Death
Congressman Tony Gonzales
Calls It Quits After Staffer’s Suicide
Published
One day after admitting he had an affair with a staffer who died by suicide, Congressman Tony Gonzales pulled the plug on his re-election campaign.
Gonzales (R-Texas) made the announcement Thursday night to drop out of the GOP primary race against Brandon Herrera before their May 26 runoff election.
Hours later, Herrera declared victory and will now move on to the general election for Gonzales’ seat in Texas’ 23rd District.
In a statement, Gonzales said after deep reflection with the support of his family, he decided to bail on his campaign, although he vowed to serve out the rest of his term.
As you know, Gonzales came under heavy scrutiny after his staffer, Regina Santos-Aviles, died by suicide in September 2025 after setting herself on fire.
Rumors surfaced that Gonzales — a married father of 6 children — was having an affair with Santos-Aviles — but the congressman publicly denied it.
The San Antonio Express-News then published text messages from Santos-Aviles acknowledging she had an affair with Gonzales. More text exchanges came to light showing Gonzales asked Santos-Aviles to send him a “sexy pic.”
Gonzales finally fessed up to the affair this week on “The Joe Pags Show,” calling it a “mistake” and a “lapse in judgment.”
Meanwhile, the House Ethics Committee launched an investigation into the matter to see if Gonzales violated codes of conduct based on allegations of sexual misconduct and favoritism.