House Republican leadership urges scandal-ridden Rep. Gonzales to drop out of runoff election

SAN ANTONIO – One day after U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales admitted to having an affair with his staffer, who later died by suicide, top House Republican leaders are calling on the congressman to drop out of his race for reelection.

In a statement released Thursday on behalf of Speaker Mike Johnson, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, and Chairwoman Lisa McClain, the lawmakers urged the Ethics Committee to “act expeditiously” on its investigation into Gonzales’ actions.

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“We have encouraged him to address these very serious allegations directly with his constituents and his colleagues,” the group said. “In the meantime, Leadership has asked Congressman Gonzales to withdraw from his race for re-election.”

After Tuesday’s primary election, Gonzales is now in a runoff against gun rights activist and YouTube personality Brandon Herrera.

Herrera finished first in the March 3 primary, but neither candidate crossed the 50% vote threshold needed to avoid a runoff.

In a post on X, Herrera thanked the Republican House leaders for “holding Congressman Tony Gonzales accountable for actions that have tarnished the office.”

“I take full responsibility for those actions,” Gonzales said on conservative talk show host Joe Pags’ show Wednesday. “Since then, I have reconciled with my wife, Angel. I’ve asked God to forgive me, which he has. And my faith is as strong as ever.”

The House Ethics Committee announced Wednesday an investigative subcommittee will determine whether Gonzales violated the code of conduct amid allegations that he “engaged in sexual misconduct” with his employee and “discriminated unfairly by dispensing special favors or privileges,” according to a release from Ethics Committee chairman, U.S. Rep. Michael Guest (R-Mississippi).

“I look forward to the ethics committee starting an investigation. I appreciate the opportunity to be able to provide all the facts,” Gonzales said in the YouTube interview.

KSAT Investigates first broke the news of Santos-Aviles’ Sept. 14 death after investigators said she doused herself in gasoline and set herself on fire at her Uvalde home.

Last month, the Uvalde Leader-News reported that Santos-Aviles’ pay spiked in 2024, the same year she allegedly had an affair with Gonzales.

Her husband, Adrian Aviles, previously said he was “exhausted and tired” of statements made by Gonzales in the aftermath of her death. Also in February, Aviles released sexually explicit texts sent in May 2024 between his wife and the congressman.

“We’re going to stand up to him, and we’re not going to allow him to bully us like he’s bullied everybody else and continued to lie about it,” Aviles said in an interview with CNN.

>>TIMELINE: Rep. Tony Gonzales’ relationship with staffer Regina Santos-Aviles

Gonzales has said Aviles tried blackmailing him and profiting off Santos-Aviles’ death.

Bobby Barrera, Aviles’ attorney, told KSAT on Wednesday that Gonzales “needs to make an admission that he had a sexual affair with a subordinate.”

Gonzales, who has resisted calls for his resignation, has spent months refusing to answer KSAT Investigates’ questions.

Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page.