Republican Tony Gonzales ousted from Texas House seat in primary election loss
Rep. Tony Gonzales will face another runoff in his Republican primary after being dragged into a runoff in Texas, NBC News projects, following a campaign shaped by allegations that he had an affair with a member of his congressional office who died by suicide last year.
Brandon Herrera, a pro-gun activist, advanced to a runoff against Gonzales for the Republican nomination after no one in the primary secured a majority. Herrera forced Gonzales into a runoff in 2024, during his first bid, but lost only a few hundred votes to unseat him.
While Gonzales this time had the support of President Donald Trump to help him retain his seat, his political standing took a major hit after allegations of the affair resurfaced last month.
Gonzales had denied having an affair with the former employee, Regina Santos-Aviles. But the allegations gained new attention after Santos-Aviles’ widower publicly accused Gonzales. News organizations, including NBC News, reported that Gonzales sent sexual text messages to Santos-Aviles.
Gonzales has not addressed the substance of the allegation since it resurfaced, and his office has not responded to repeated questions about whether he stands by his previous denials. Instead, he accused Herrera of fueling the allegations, which he considers politically motivated, and accused Santos-Aviles’ widower and his lawyer of blackmailing him.
Two sources close to the investigation told NBC News last month that the Office of Congressional Conduct had completed its investigation into the alleged affair, but that House rules prevented it from forwarding a report to the House Ethics Committee just before an election.
Gonzales, a former naval officer, was first elected in 2020 to represent the sprawling 23rd Congressional District, which stretches more than 800 miles along the southern border. He serves on the Plum House Appropriations Committee and has crossed party lines on a handful of key votes, including supporting a bipartisan gun safety measure after a mass shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, in his district.
That vote and others, such as support for an independent investigation into the 2021 Capitol riot and legislation protecting same-sex and interracial marriages, drew criticism from the Texas Republican Party, as well as conservatives like Herrera, who said Gonzales’ voting record prompted him to run for Congress.
