GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales faces pressure from party over affair allegations : NPR
Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, is seen here during a news conference on border security outside the U.S. Capitol on Nov. 14, 2023.
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Rep. Tony Gonzales is facing growing pressure within his own party to resign amid new details about an alleged affair between the Texas Republican and a staffer who later committed suicide.
At least four House Republicans called on Gonzales to resign or end his reelection bid after Gonzales sent explicit text messages to his then-staffer, Regina Santos-Aviles, who later died. after setting herself on fire.
“America deserves better. Tony should withdraw from the race,” Texas Republican Rep. Brandon Gill said Monday.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., agreed, writing, “Tony, you should drop out of the race.”
GOP Reps. Lauren Boebert of Colorado and Nancy Mace of South Carolina called for Gonzales’ resignation.
Gonzales’ office did not respond to a request for comment, but the congressman has previously denied the allegations.
NPR has not independently reviewed the text messages.
The firestorm comes as House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., clings to a slim majority in the lower chamber. Republicans currently have a 4-seat majority and there is speculation that other members with retirement plans could leave the party before this year’s midterm elections.
Gonzales is already under investigation over the alleged affair by the Office of Congressional Conduct, an independent House office, according to a source familiar with the matter who was not authorized to discuss it publicly. The OCC is expected to deliver its findings to the House Ethics Committee in the coming weeks.
When asked whether Gonzales should resign, Johnson called the allegations “very serious” and said the process must play out.
“As in every case like this, you must allow the investigations to proceed and all the facts to come to light,” Johnson told reporters Monday. “If being accused of something is going to be the litmus test for someone to continue to serve in the House, you’re going to have a lot of people who are going to have to resign or be impeached or expelled from Congress.”
Gonzales is serving his third term and represents Texas’ 23rd Congressional District, a seat in southwest Texas. He faces a tough primary on March 3 and could find himself in a repeat of the 2024 Republican runoff that saw him edge out conservative YouTuber Brandon Herrera by only about 350 votes.
Herrera, a staunch gun rights supporter known as “the AK guy,” has won support from several Republicans, including members of the ultra-conservative House Freedom Caucus.
Amid Monday’s fallout, the political arm of the House Freedom Caucus stepped in to support Herrera. The group, whose members have previously attacked Gonzales as not conservative enough, made no mention of the allegations in its support.
“Brandon is a bold and unapologetic defender of the Second Amendment and an unwavering defender of the constitutional rights that protect our freedoms,” the Freedom Caucus Fund said in a statement on X.
