SAN ANTONIO – One day after admitting he had an affair with his staffer, who died by suicide, U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales is dropping his bid for reelection.
Earlier this month, House Republicans urged Gonzales to drop out of the race after the House Ethics Committee announced it would investigate Gonzales for the affair with his Uvalde-based staffer, Regina Santos-Aviles.
— Rep. Tony Gonzales (@RepTonyGonzales) March 6, 2026
In a social media post, Gonzales said he will serve the rest of his term in Congress.
“Through the rest of my term, I will continue fighting for my constituents, Gonzales said, ”for whom I am eternally grateful.”
Santos-Aviles’ husband’s attorney said that the healing process can now begin, in a statement to KSAT.
“I’m happy the truth has come out, and he’s acknowledged and taken full responsibility for his errors in judgment,” attorney Bobby Barrera said, “and now, everyone can start healing and get this issue and problem behind them.”
Gonzales was 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.
Gonzales, who has resisted calls for his resignation, spent months refusing to answer KSAT Investigates’ questions about the affair, but addressed it Wednesday on conservative talk show host Joe Pags’ show.
“I take full responsibility for those actions,” Gonzales said. “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 that 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 to blackmail him and profit off Santos-Aviles’ death.
Barrera told KSAT in early March that Gonzales “needs to make an admission that he had a sexual affair with a subordinate.”
Read more reporting on the KSAT Investigates page.