Regina Santos-aviles: Texts show regina santos-aviles was asked for a 'sexy pic' by Rep. Tony Gonzales

Newly disclosed text messages show U. S. Rep. Tony Gonzales asked an employee, regina santos-aviles, to send a "sexy pic" just after midnight on May 9, 2024, and the exchange has intensified pressure on the congressman as he heads into a contested primary. The messages, and a police report tied to Santos-Aviles' death, have become central to bipartisan calls for Gonzales to step down.

Midnight texts and direct requests

Just after midnight on May 9, 2024, the congressman begged an employee, regina santos-aviles, to send him a "sexy pic, " texts show. When she pushed back and said the conversation had gone too far, Gonzales persisted, writing that he was "just such a visual person. " Her husband, Adrian Aviles, later shared those text messages on Monday as part of what he offered as evidence of an affair.

Gonzales has said little publicly in recent days; he told critics in November that rumors of an affair were "completely untruthful, " but as further material has surfaced he has avoided direct denials, accused Adrian Aviles of trying to blackmail him, and blamed his primary opponent, Brandon Herrera, for politicizing the matter.

The circumstances of Regina Santos-aviles' death

Regina Santos-aviles was the congressman’s district director in Uvalde. She died in September 2025 after setting herself on fire. The police report provided by Uvalde officials on Monday records that Santos-Aviles told responding officers she set herself on fire because her husband was romantically involved with her best friend.

The couple had been estranged for several months after, as a friend described it to the detective, "Regina's supposed affair" strained the relationship. Santos-Aviles died the next day at a hospital in San Antonio. She and Adrian Aviles shared an 8-year-old son.

New disclosures and evidence cited by the family

A lawyer for Adrian Aviles disclosed additional sexually explicit text messages this week that the family says were sent by Gonzales to his former aide. A former aide to the congressman also came forward with a text message in which Santos-Aviles wrote that she "had an affair with our boss. " That former aide asked not to be named, citing a fear of retaliation.

Those disclosures, combined with the police report and the messages Adrian Aviles provided, have driven renewed attention to the underlying allegations and the sequence of events that followed the May 2024 exchange.

Political fallout and bipartisan pressure

The release of the texts has generated calls from both Republican and Democratic figures for Gonzales to step down. Representative Lauren Boebert wrote "Resign!" in a social media post that included images of the messages. Representative Anna Paulina Luna urged colleagues to condemn Gonzales for "asking for explicit photos" of a member of his staff. Representative Nancy Mace said Gonzales should resign immediately instead of "campaigning like nothing happened. "

Other Republican officials, including Chip Roy and Brandon Gill, stopped short of demanding immediate ouster but urged Gonzales to end his re-election campaign. House Speaker Mike Johnson described the allegations as "serious" and said he had urged Gonzales to address the controversy "in an appropriate way with his constituents. "

Campaign stakes: Herrera, endorsement and next steps

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 faces a difficult reelection bid: Brandon Herrera, a gun rights activist and YouTuber who nearly unseated Gonzales in 2024, is again challenging him in next week's primary. Herrera has run ads and social posts accusing Gonzales of having a "taxpayer funded affair with a married staffer, which led to her death by self-immolation, " and has said Gonzales should step down.

Despite the controversy, the president formally endorsed Gonzales last week and his support for the incumbent remains intact, even as questions mount about whether Gonzales' congressional career will survive the coming days.