Republicans Call on One of Their Own to Resign After Alleged Affair
Calls for GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales’ resignation are growing as more details emerge regarding a former staffer who set herself on fire after ending their alleged affair.
Regina Ann Santos-Aviles was a 35-year-old wife and mother who served as regional manager of Gonzales’ office in Uvalde, Texas. In 2024, just one day after Gonzales won the primary, Santos-Aviles made her affair known to the rest of the staff and was apparently punished for her admission. The meetings she had scheduled were canceled and the representative stopped traveling to Uvalde, which he did regularly. Her husband also became aware of the affair, adding to her distress. She slipped into depression and began taking medication in the summer of 2025. In August, she set herself on fire with gasoline and died a day later at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.
Gonzales skipped the funeral and consistently deflected blame when asked. But on Monday, 24SightNews revealed screenshots of Gonzales pressing Aviles for nude photos in 2024, leading four of Gonzales’ Republican colleagues, most of them women, to call for his resignation.
“The entire Texas delegation, along with every other member of Congress, should condemn a sitting Congressman who requests explicit photos of his staff,” said MAGA Rep. Anna Paulina Luna. wrote Monday. “As a woman, this is truly disgusting to see. Not to mention it disgraces the House of Representatives. I am so sick and tired of people not calling out this bullshit. Again, as I said before, this is not the only case of this bullshit here. @RepTonyGonzalesShame on you.”
“Stop being predatory and leave office. YOU DON’T HAVE YOUR PART HERE. This behavior is reprehensible and reflects poorly on the Republican Party, and I will not tolerate this type of moral rot in my own party,” she wrote in another post without mentioning Gonzales by name.
“.@RepTonyGonzalesREIGN!” Lauren Boebert, MAGA representative wrote.
Rep. Nancy Mace went even further.
“We have introduced a resolution directing the Ethics Committee to preserve and make public records and reports on all of their investigations of members of Congress for sexual harassment and unwelcome sexual advances. Tony Gonzales is just the tip of the iceberg,” she said. said Tuesday. “There is no place for sexual harassment or unwelcome sexual advances in the House of Representatives. And we will not let the Washington establishment continue to protect its own. End of story.”
“I join Nancy Mace, Lauren Boebert and Anna Paulina Luna in calling for the immediate resignation of Rep. Tony Gonzales,” said Rep. Thomas Massie. rang. “Where are the other men in the Republican Party? Trump is infamous for making terrible endorsements – this is one and he should be removed.”
Gonzales is currently running for re-election this November.
