Republican leaders in the U.S. House are urging Representative Tony Gonzales (R-TX) to withdraw his candidacy for reelection. This request follows Gonzales’s recent admission of an affair with a former staffer who tragically took her own life.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, alongside other Republican leaders, made their position clear in a joint statement. They emphasized the need for Gonzales to confront the serious allegations he faces, particularly as the Ethics Committee has launched an investigation into his conduct.
In the statement, Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Whip Tom Emmer, and GOP Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain urged Gonzales to directly address the matter with his constituents. They have called for him to step away from the runoff race scheduled for May, which follows a contentious primary.
Previously, Johnson had refrained from commenting on whether Gonzales would be compelled to resign, especially given the GOP’s precarious majority leading into the midterm elections.
Brandon Herrera, who narrowly lost to Gonzales in 2024, is poised to face him again in the upcoming runoff. Herrera emerged as the frontrunner in the initial voting, leading by nearly a thousand votes, and he expressed gratitude toward House leadership for holding Gonzales accountable.
In a statement on social media, Herrera remarked, “I would like to thank Speaker Johnson and House leadership for holding Congressman Tony Gonzales accountable for actions that have tarnished the office.” He expressed eagerness to represent the people of West Texas as they deserve.
While Herrera appears to have a clear path to the nomination, he will still face a Democratic challenger in the general election. Recent polling indicates that Democrats outperformed Republicans in the district’s primary by approximately 4,000 votes.
Gonzales initially secured his seat in the San Antonio-centered district during a prior electoral shift that favored Republican candidates among Hispanic voters. However, Katy Padilla Stout, the Democratic nominee, received about 7,000 more votes than Herrera in the latest primary.
On Wednesday, Gonzales publicly addressed the affair during an appearance on a podcast, confirming his relationship with former aide Regina Ann Santos-Aviles. She had served as his primary staffer and reportedly died by self-immolation in September 2025. Gonzales had previously denied the rumors surrounding the affair, labeling them as attempts at blackmail fueled by social media commentary.
In his admission, Gonzales stated, “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.” He expressed shock over Santos-Aviles’s tragic death, asserting that he had no connection to it.
Meanwhile, a resolution introduced by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) aimed to push for the public release of records pertaining to sexual misconduct investigations involving Congress members. Mace argued that the American people and Congress staffers deserve transparency regarding such serious issues, but the House ultimately blocked the motion with a vote of 357-65.
Among Texas representatives, only a few broke ranks to support the release of these records. Gonzales was among the majority who voted against it, further complicating his standing within the party.
