Tony Gonzales pressed aide for ‘sexy pic,’ texts and police report deepen campaign fight
Just after midnight on May 9, 2024, text messages show U. S. Rep. tony gonzales begged an employee, Regina Santos-Aviles, to send him a “sexy pic. ” The exchange, and Santos-Aviles’ death the following year after she set herself on fire, have intensified scrutiny as the congressman faces a contested primary.
Tony Gonzales’ messages to his district director in Uvalde
The texts, sent just after midnight on May 9, 2024, show Gonzales asking Regina Santos-Aviles, who served as his district director in Uvalde, for a “sexy pic. ” When Santos-Aviles pushed back and said the conversation had gone too far, the married San Antonio Republican persisted, writing that he was “just such a visual person. ”
Details from the police report on Santos-Aviles’ death
Santos-Aviles died in September 2025 after lighting herself on fire. The police report says she told responding officers that she set herself on fire because her husband was romantically involved with her best friend. She died the next day at a hospital in San Antonio. A friend told the detective investigating her death that the couple had been estranged for several months after “Regina’s supposed affair” strained the relationship.
Husband shared texts and described ostracization
Her husband, Adrian Aviles, shared the text messages on Monday as evidence of an affair between the congressman and his staffer. Aviles told a local newspaper, which published the text messages first, that the relationship and the professional ostracization his wife faced after it was discovered led her to become despondent before her death. Santos-Aviles and Aviles shared an 8-year-old son.
Gonzales’ response and calls for records
Gonzales did not respond to a request for comment. He said in November that rumors of an affair between him and Santos-Aviles were “completely untruthful. ” In recent days, he has sidestepped direct denials, accused Aviles of trying to blackmail him and blamed his opponent in next week’s primary, Brandon Herrera, for politicizing the issue. Gonzales has also called for the full police report related to Santos-Aviles’ death to be released; Uvalde officials provided the report on Monday.
Campaign implications as Brandon Herrera presses attack
tony gonzales is married with six children and represents the 23rd Congressional District, the state’s largest, which stretches across the southwestern border and into San Antonio. He is facing a tough reelection bid: Brandon Herrera, a gun rights activist and YouTuber, has taken another swing at the seat after almost unseating Gonzales in 2024. In ads and on social media, Herrera has hammered Gonzales for having a “taxpayer funded affair with a married staffer, which led to her death by self-immolation, ” as he put it in one post. Herrera has also said Gonzales should step down and rebuffed the congressman.
