Tony Gonzales Faces Bipartisan Calls to Resign After Release of Explicit Texts and New Details in Ex-Aide’s Death
Rep. Tony Gonzales is confronting intensified bipartisan pressure to step down after sexually explicit text messages and a police report added fresh detail to allegations that he had an affair with a former aide who later died. The revelations arrive as the Texas Republican heads into a tight March 3 primary, widening the political stakes.
Tony Gonzales’ Messages and Denials
Text messages released in recent days show that just after midnight on May 9, 2024, Rep. Tony Gonzales asked his employee, Regina Santos-Aviles, to send a “sexy pic, ” and when she resisted he replied that he was “just such a visual person. ” Gonzales has previously called rumors of an affair “completely untruthful” in statements made in November, but in the last week he has not issued an explicit categorical denial; instead he has accused Regina’s husband, Adrian Aviles, of trying to blackmail him and suggested his primary opponent, Brandon Herrera, is politicizing the matter. Gonzales has also said in social media posts that he is the target of “coordinated political attacks. ” The has not independently obtained copies of the messages.
Regina Santos-Aviles’ Death and Official Findings
Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, 35, who served as the congressman’s district director in Uvalde, died in September 2025 after setting herself on fire in the backyard of her Uvalde home. The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office later ruled her death a suicide by self-immolation. She was taken to a hospital in San Antonio and died the next day; she and Adrian Aviles shared an 8-year-old son. A police report released by Uvalde officials shows Santos-Aviles told responding officers she set herself on fire because her husband was romantically involved with her best friend, and a friend told a detective the couple had been estranged for several months after what the friend described as “Regina’s supposed affair. ”
Adrian Aviles’ Actions and Evidence
Adrian Aviles provided the text messages to journalists and has said he found out about an alleged relationship before his wife’s death. He has told local media that the relationship and the professional ostracization his wife experienced after it was discovered contributed to her becoming despondent. An attorney for Adrian Aviles has similarly said the husband learned of the alleged affair prior to her death.
GOP Lawmakers and Calls to Resign
Prominent Republican members of Congress have joined Democrats in calling for Gonzales to resign. Representatives Thomas Massie, Lauren Boebert, Anna Paulina Luna and Nancy Mace demanded he step down immediately; Mace also introduced a resolution to force the House Ethics Commission to publicly release its records and reports of sexual harassment allegations against members. Other Republicans, including Chip Roy and Brandon Gill, urged Gonzales to end his re-election campaign without explicitly calling for his removal. Representative Massie asked, “Where are the other men in the GOP?” and Boebert posted the single-word demand, “Resign!” alongside images of the messages.
Political Stakes: Brandon Herrera and the March 3 Primary
The timing matters because Gonzales is locked in a close Republican primary with Brandon Herrera, who narrowly nearly unseated him in a 2024 runoff by fewer than 400 votes. Herrera, a gun manufacturer and online influencer who calls himself the “AK Guy” and whose channel has nearly 4. 2 million subscribers, has pressed Gonzales in ads and social posts, accusing him of a “taxpayer funded affair with a married staffer, which led to her death by self-immolation. ” Early voting for the March 3 primary has been underway for more than a week, and President Donald Trump formally endorsed Gonzales in December; the president’s support has so far remained intact.
House Leadership and the Inquiry Ahead
House Speaker Mike Johnson called the accusations “serious” and said he would speak with Gonzales, adding that investigations must be allowed to play out so that “all the facts come out. ” Gonzales has demanded the full police report be released; Uvalde officials provided the police report to journalists on Monday. Nancy Mace’s procedural move to push the House Ethics Commission to make public its files signals one possible institutional response that could force greater transparency.
What makes this notable is the convergence of explicit contemporaneous messages, a formal medical examiner ruling, and direct public pressure from within Gonzales’ own party at a moment when his seat is vulnerable — creating both legal and political momentum that could determine whether he remains in Congress.
