Five Points on the Rep. Tony Gonzales Affair Allegations Disrupting the Texas Primaries
You’ve probably heard the name Tony Gonzales a lot in recent weeks.
The Texas Republican represents the Lone Star state’s largest congressional district and is running for re-election in a seat the GOP is desperate to hold on to given its slim majority in the House. But Gonzales, married with six children, was accused of having an affair with a former staffer who later died by suicide. Although the allegations are not new, the scandal has resurfaced with new details over the past month, prompting calls for his resignation from members of Gonzales’ own party.
The Office of Congressional Conduct conducted – and concluded – an investigation into this alleged affair. But the results will remain out of public view for now. The Texas primary is March 3, and the office is prohibited from releasing any report involving alleged misconduct by a member of the House Ethics Committee within 60 days of an election involving that member of Congress.
Here are five points to keep you informed about the ongoing scandal.
The first allegations against Gonzales
Earlier this month, allegations of an affair between Gonzales and his former regional district director, Regina Santos-Aviles, resurfaced after an anonymous former member of Gonzales’ office told the San Antonio Express-News that Santos-Aviles said she had an affair with the congressman in 2024.
The former employee also provided the outlet with an alleged text message from Santos-Aviles in which she said she “had an affair with our boss.” The former employee said Santos-Aviles also told him she fell into a depression after her husband, Adrian Aviles, discovered the relationship and Gonzales abruptly cut off contact.
Santos-Aviles died in September 2025 after setting herself on fire in front of her home, according to the county medical examiner.
The congressman previously denied allegations of an affair between him and Santos-Aviles months ago, calling them “completely false.”
And last week, in a statement to CNN, Gonzales again denied the affair, saying his main opponent in the primary, YouTuber and gun advocate Brandon Herrera, was trying to attack him ahead of the GOP primary.
“It is shameful that Brandon Herrera would use a disgruntled former employee to smear her memory and score political points, conveniently pushing this on the same day early voting begins,” Gonzales said. “I will not engage in these personal smears and will instead remain focused on helping President Trump secure the border and improve the lives of all Texans.”
And a few others…
This week, new allegations become public. Newly revealed text messages from May 2024 — first published by the San Antonio Express-News and also obtained by the New York Post and the Texas Tribune — between Gonzales and Santos-Aviles reportedly show the congressman asked his then-aide to send him a “sexy photo.”
After Santos-Aviles allegedly declined the request, the congressman asked her what her “preferred position” was, according to the Tribune. She responded by asking for his first, to which he allegedly responded by saying “up top, pinning your legs.”
“This is going too far boss,” she replied, according to several media.
TPM has not independently verified the text messages.
The day before the text messages were published by multiple media outlets, Gonzales took to social media shortly before 4 a.m., calling the allegations against him “coordinated political attacks.”
In my six years in Congress, no formal complaint has been filed against my office. A few days before the elections, coordinated political attacks reign. THIS WILL NOT WORK. Halfway through early voting, the intensity lies with TG voters. I’d rather be us than them.
-Tony Gonzales (@TonyGonzales4TX) February 22, 2026
Gonzales’ campaign did not respond to a request for comment on the recent allegations against the congressman.
A few weeks after the text message exchange, Aviles allegedly discovered the affair between his wife and the congressman, according to the Texas Tribune.
Aviles and his wife, who had a son together, separated after the affair came to light. After the separation, Santos-Aviles began to spiral, struggling with alcohol and threatening self-harm — including an incident in which she called Aviles while holding a gun to her head, according to law enforcement documents obtained by the Texas Tribune.
In mid-September, Santos-Aviles sent a text message to a friend, alleging that Aviles was having a romantic relationship with her best friend, according to the Texas Tribune. She then doused herself in gasoline and sent a video of the act to her friend, asking him to tell Aviles to “have fun raising our son.”
Johnson enters the chat
The new allegations were not enough for House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) to withdraw his support for the Texas congressman.
Johnson called the allegations “very serious,” adding that he spoke to Gonzales and told him he “needs to discuss this with his constituents.”
But apparently mindful of the fact that he is barely holding on to his majority in the House, Johnson has not called on Gonzales to resign or withdraw his previous support for his re-election campaign.
“You must allow investigations to proceed and all the facts to come to light,” Johnson added. “You have to let the system work… If being accused of something is going to be the litmus test for a person to continue to serve in the House, we’re going to have a lot of people who will have to resign or be impeached or expelled from Congress.”
Some House Republicans are still pushing back
At least five House Republicans have called on Gonzales to resign amid the growing allegations.
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) called on Gonzales to resign from office, saying the new allegations “apparently show an evil boss drunkenly coercing a vulnerable employee into explicit conversations, pressuring her for ‘sexy photos,’ asking her about her favorite sex positions.”
“This kind of abuse of power has no place anywhere, least of all in Congress, and Tony Gonzales should be ashamed and resign IMMEDIATELY!” » said Boébert.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) also weighed in on social media, saying “the entire Texas delegation, along with every other member of Congress, should condemn a sitting member of Congress who requests explicit photos of his staff.”
“As a woman, it’s really disgusting to see,” Luna continued. “Not to mention this disgraces the House of Representatives. I’m so sick and tired of people not calling out this bullshit.”
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) also condemned the alleged texts, saying Congress should “have ZERO tolerance for those who abuse their power over others.”
Meanwhile, Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX) called on Gonzales to abandon his re-election campaign.
America deserves better.
Tony should abandon the race. https://t.co/djJJVu7dJm
– Brandon Gill (@realBrandonGill) February 23, 2026
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY), one of Trump’s primary opponents in Congress, urged his colleague to “resign immediately” and criticized the president “for providing terrible support” to people like Gonzales. (President Donald Trump previously supported Gonzales in December, but has not offered his opinion since the new allegations surfaced.)
Gonzales’ office did not respond to a request for comment on recent calls for his resignation.
Primary dynamics
The Republican primary is scheduled for March 3 – just a week away – but early voting has already begun. Gonzales, who is seeking his fourth term in Congress, faces tough primary competition between three challengers: Herrera, Keith Barton and Francisco Canseco.
His biggest competition is Herrera, a far-right pro-gun influencer known as “the AK guy.” Herrera is already supported by the political arm of the House Freedom Caucus and several far-right members of the House, including Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) and Boebert.
The two faced off for the same seat in 2024, with Gonzales beating Herrera by just a few hundred votes.
