Rep. Tony Gonzales won't seek reelection after admitting to having an affair with a staffer
Regina Ann Santos-Aviles worked for Rep. Tony Gonzales when the two had an affair. Her suicide and his denials led to an investigation and calls for his resignation.
Representative Tony Gonzales (R-Texas 23rd) is not seeking reelection to Congress. The announcement comes after mounting pressure for answers after his staffer, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, died by suicide. Speculation swirled that the two had an affair after Santos-Aviles’s tragic death. Here is a recap of what led to the end of Rep. Gonzales’s political career.
Rep. Tony Gonzales will not seek reelection after a political scandal
Rep. Gonzales was first elected to represent Texas’s 23rd Congressional District in 2020. In that election, he defeated current San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones after he was endorsed by President Donald Trump. By 2022, he won the Republican primary with 55.87 percent of the vote. That margin became slimmer in 2024. He won the Republican primary with only 50.6 percent of the vote, which is less than 400 votes.
But his ongoing decline in popularity is not the reason that he isn’t seeking reelection. Rep. Gonzales has been embroiled in a political scandal that includes sex, infidelity, a tragic death, and lying.
It all started with the tragic death of staffer Regina Ann Santos-Aviles
Santos-Aviles was the Uvalde Regional District Director for Rep. Gonzales. First responders were called to her home the night of Sept. 13, 2025, after the staffer sustained burn injuries over her body. According to footage recovered from the home, the video showed Santos-Aviles covering herself in gasoline and lighting herself on fire.
Her death exposed allegations of infidelity between the congressman and Santos-Aviles. According to a report from the San Antonio Express-News, attorney Bobby Barrera contacted the politician about $300,000 for a non-disclosure agreement about the affair on behalf of Adrian Aviles, Santos-Aviles’s husband. Rep. Gonzales shared the message on social media, claiming that Aviles was attempting to blackmail him.
Rep. Gonzales denied the allegations of sexual misconduct for months
Barrera told CNN that he had text messages from Santos-Aviles that confirmed an affair. According to the attorney, Santos-Aviles showed text messages between her and the congressman to her husband in 2024 when she admitted the affair to him. Additionally, Santos-Aviles texted with a close colleague about the affair.
Rep. Gonzales came out strongly denying the allegations of any impropriety between him and Santos-Aviles. Furthermore, he claimed that Aviles and Barrera were tarnishing the memory of Santos-Aviles with the accusations.
“Ms. Santos-Aviles was a kind soul who devoted her life to making the community a better place. Her efforts led to improvements in school safety, healthcare, and rural water like never before,” Rep. Gonzales said in a statement to CNN. “It’s shameful that Brandon Herrera is using a disgruntled former staffer to smear her memory and score political points, conveniently pushing this out the very day early voting started. I am not going to engage in these personal smears and instead will remain focused on helping President Trump secure the border and improve the lives of all Texans.”
People wouldn’t let the congressman skirt accountability
Despite his consistent denials of an affair, people continued to ask questions. The mounting evidence prompted Republican leadership in Congress to call on the House Ethics Committee to launch a formal investigation into the relationship. The committee announced an investigation into whether Rep. Gonzales engaged in a sexual relationship with a member of his staff on March 4.
By March 5, Rep. Gonzales admitted to having a sexual relationship with Santos-Aviles and dropped out of the race.
“I made a mistake, and I had a lapse in judgment, and there was a lack of faith, and I take full responsibility for those actions,” Rep. Gonzales told conservative radio host Joe Pags. “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.”
Republican leadership released a joint statement commending him for stepping aside.
“We have encouraged him to address these very serious allegations directly with his constituents and his colleagues,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Whip Tom Emmer, and GOP Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain said in the joint statement. “In the meantime, Leadership has asked Congressman Gonzales to withdraw from his race for reelection.”
With no incumbent running, the race for Texas’s 23rd Congressional District is open. The Republican who will be running in his place is “AK Man” Brandon Herrera, who is described as a Nazi cosplayer and gun enthusiast. The district includes Uvalde, the site of the Robb Elementary School shooting.