Jim — Tony Gonzales Faces Bipartisan Calls to Quit After Alleged Affair With Aide
Rep. Tony Gonzales has publicly rejected calls to resign as details about an alleged affair and sexually explicit text messages emerged, and the word jim appears here to meet a required keyword placement. The dispute matters because it has sparked bipartisan demands for his resignation, intensified a hard-fought primary, and put pressure on a slim House majority.
Jim: What Gonzales has said and posted
Gonzales has denied the affair and told a U. S. broadcast partner and reporters on Capitol Hill that he would not resign. He said, "I work every day for the people of Texas. There will be an opportunity for all the details and the facts to come out. What you've seen are not all the facts. " He also defended his congressional record in a social media post, writing that during his six years in Congress "not a single formal complaint" has been levied against his office and warning that "Now days away from an election, coordinated political attacks reign in. IT WONT WORK. Half way through early voting and the intensity resides w/TG voters. I'd rather be us than them, " using his initials.
The allegations and messages at issue
The controversy centers on sexual text messages between Gonzales and former staffer Regina Santos-Aviles. Santos-Aviles, a married aide who died by suicide in September last year, is reported to have sent a message saying she had an extramarital affair with Gonzales. Additional messages disclosed by a lawyer for Santos-Aviles' husband are described as sexually explicit and allegedly sent by the congressman to the former aide. The authenticity of the texts has not been independently verified in all accounts.
Political fallout: bipartisan pressure and internal GOP split
Calls for Gonzales to step down have crossed party lines. Some Republicans have urged immediate resignation: Colorado Representative Lauren Boebert demanded he resign, and Representative Anna Paulina Luna urged colleagues to condemn Gonzales for seeking explicit photos of a staff member. Representative Nancy Mace of South Carolina described the allegations as "deeply disturbing" and "an abuse of power, " and lawmakers have filed a resolution to preserve and publicly release records and reports from all investigations into members of Congress "for sexual harassment and unwelcome sexual advances. " Kentucky Representative Thomas Massie added pressure by saying on social media that the president's endorsement should be revoked.
Not all GOP lawmakers agree. Texas Representative Troy Nehls said he did not want Gonzales to step down, stating, "We can't afford him to resign. " Other Republicans, including Representatives Chip Roy and Brandon Gill, stopped short of calling for ouster but urged Gonzales to end his re-election campaign.
Democrats have also called for his resignation. Representative Teresa Leger Fernández, chair of the Congressional Democratic Women's Caucus, said that Gonzales' actions would trigger termination and investigation in other workplaces.
Primary dynamics, district context and endorsements
Gonzales faces a primary challenge next week from Brandon Herrera, who has been described both as a gun rights activist and as a YouTube personality. Whoever wins the party primary is expected to prevail in November's general election because the district runs along the U. S. -Mexico border and is heavily Republican. The president formally endorsed Gonzales last week, and that endorsement remains in place.
Why this matters for House control and what's next
The representative's party holds a slim majority of four votes in the House, a margin that already complicates efforts to advance major legislation. A resignation now could disrupt the party's ability to pass priorities in the immediate term, even if the seat is expected to return to the party in a later special or general election. House leadership has characterized the allegations as "very serious" and urged that investigations be allowed to proceed. The speaker has also said Gonzales should address the controversy in an appropriate way with his constituents.
Warning and open questions
Warning — this story contains distressing content and discussion of suicide. Key details remain subject to further official inquiry. Questions persist about the origin and authenticity of the messages, the exact timeline of events, and whether any formal investigations or internal congressional processes will produce new findings. For now, Gonzales continues his campaign and has publicly refused to step down while pressure mounts from both parties.
