Rep. Tony Gonzales Says He Won’t Seek Reelection

Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) announced late Thursday night he will not seek reelection, coming amid calls from GOP leadership to abandon his bid.

“After deep reflection and with the support of my loving family, I have decided not to seek re-election while serving out the rest of this Congress with the same commitment I’ve always had to my district,” Gonzales wrote in a post on X. “Through the rest of my term, I will continue fighting for my constituents, for whom I am eternally grateful.”

Republican leaders in the House pushed for Gonzales to abandon his reelection bid after he admitted to an affair with a former staffer who subsequently took her own life.

The House Ethics Committee announced an investigation into his conduct on Thursday.

“We have encouraged him to address these very serious allegations directly with his constituents and his colleagues,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), and Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) said in a joint statement released Thursday. “In the meantime, Leadership has asked Congressman Gonzales to withdraw from his race for reelection.”

Gonzales has served three terms as a lawmaker representing a district that includes Uvalde, Texas.

Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, a 35-year-old aide, died by suicide in September 2025 after setting herself on fire in her backyard in Uvalde.

Gonzales was asked whether he had a relationship with the aide.

“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 said while appearing on the “Joe Pags Show” on Wednesday.

Gonzales said that he had no contact with Santos-Aviles since June 2024.

“I had absolutely nothing to do with her tragic passing, and in fact, I was shocked just as much as everyone else,” he said.

The congressman, a Navy veteran who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, reconciled with his wife, Angel, he said. Gonzales, who has six children, has pledged to stay in office and cooperate with the ethics investigation.

House rules prohibit sexual relationships between lawmakers and their employees, leading to the Ethics Committee’s involvement.

Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) proposed resolutions to censure and remove Gonzales from his committee assignments on Appropriations and Homeland Security, and to censure him.

On the Democratic side, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries supported Gonzales’s expulsion, which requires a two-thirds vote.

Gonzales faced a primary challenge in 2024 from Brandon Herrera, a gun manufacturer and social media influencer, who pushed Gonzales into a May runoff after a close contest.

The Associated Press contributed to this report