Representative Tony Gonzales has dropped his bid for re-election after admitting to having an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide.
The Texas Republican wrote in a statement released late Thursday night, “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.”
For months, Gonzales has been accused of having an inappropriate relationship with Regina Santos-Aviles, a 35-year-old wife and mother who worked in his Uvalde office.
After initially denying the allegations, Gonzales admitted he “made a mistake,” calling his infidelity with a subordinate “a lapse in judgment” in an interview with conservative talk show host Joe Pagliarulo, released Wednesday.
Gonzales said he had reconciled with his wife Angel, with whom he shared six children, and “asked God to forgive me, which he has.”
Santos-Aviles died in September 2025 in the backyard of her Uvalde home. Gonzales told Pagliarulo he had “absolutely nothing to do” with her death.
This is a developing story…
