Jim jim: US congressman refuses to resign after allegations of affair with staffer

Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales said he would not resign on Tuesday amid allegations that he had an affair with a senior staffer who later died by suicide. jim

Gonzales says he will not resign Jim

Gonzales, a three-term congressman who is running for re-election, told reporters on Tuesday that he was not going to resign. He said, "There will be an opportunity for all the details and facts to come out. What you’ve seen is not all the facts. And there will be ample time for all of that to come out. " He has said on social media that he is being blackmailed and called the allegations a political smear, and in November he had said rumors of an affair were "completely untruthful. "

Text messages and "sexy pic" request

Newly released messages include texts from just after midnight on May 9, 2024, and a message at 12. 15am on 9 May that said: "Send me a sexy pic. " In other exchanges Gonzales allegedly asked about the aide's favorite sex positions and wrote fantasizing about sex with her. One message showed him saying he was "just such a visual person. " The messages portray a pattern in which he appeared to pressure the senior staffer to share images of herself and, eventually, to enter a sexual relationship.

Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, district director in Uvalde

The staffer named in the messages is Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, 35, who served as Gonzales' district director in Uvalde. Santos-Aviles died in September 2025 after setting herself on fire; she died the next day at a hospital in San Antonio. She and her husband, Adrian Aviles, shared an 8-year-old son. Adrian Aviles provided text messages on Monday as evidence of an affair and told a San Antonio newspaper that the relationship and the professional ostracization his wife faced after it was discovered led her to become despondent before her death.

Calls from fellow Republicans intensify

Several Republicans publicly demanded that Gonzales step down immediately. Congressman Thomas Massie of Kentucky joined Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Anna Paulina Luna of Florida, Nancy Mace of South Carolina, and other Republicans in calling for his resignation. Earlier calls came from Texas Republicans Brandon Gill and Chip Roy on Monday. Gill said, "America deserves better, " and, endorsing Gonzales's main opponent, added, "Tony should drop out of the race. "

Police report details and campaign impacts

Gonzales has called for the full police report related to Santos-Aviles' death to be released; Uvalde officials provided the report to a news outlet on Monday. The police report says Santos-Aviles told responding officers she set herself on fire because her husband was romantically involved with her best friend. The report notes the couple had been estranged for several months after "Regina's supposed affair" strained the relationship, a friend told the detective investigating her death. Santos-Aviles died the next day at a hospital in San Antonio.

Political fallout and challengers

The 23rd Congressional District representative is married with six children and faces a tough Republican primary on 3 March. His main GOP rival is Brandon Herrera, described in different reports as a gun manufacturer and gun rights influencer and elsewhere as a gun rights activist and YouTuber who nearly unseated Gonzales in 2024. Herrera has run ads and social posts accusing Gonzales of a "taxpayer funded affair with a married staffer, which led to her death by self-immolation, " and has said Gonzales should step down; Herrera has also rebuffed the congressman.

House leaders and ethics actions

House speaker Mike Johnson said he would speak to Gonzales about the allegations and said the accusations "must be taken seriously, " while stopping short of calling for resignation. Johnson added, "In every case like this, you have to allow the investigation to play out and all the facts to come out. If the accusation of something is going to be the litmus for someone being able to continue to serve in the House, a lot of people would have to resign or be removed or expelled from Congress. " Representative Nancy Mace announced she has introduced a resolution to force the House ethics committee to publicly release its wider reports and records of allegations of sexual harassment against members of Congress.

An organization that sought comment from Gonzales did not immediately receive a response. Reporting on aspects of the text messages and the police file was published on February 23, 2026, in an article by Eleanor Klibanoff.

The emerging evidence, the messages from May 9, 2024, the police report on Santos-Aviles' death in September 2025 and the growing calls for resignation have left Gonzales in the midst of a bruising re-election campaign now described as in turmoil; jim

Closing: Gonzales has denied an affair, has called the accusations a political smear, and has not publicly addressed all of the newly released text messages that appear to ask a former staffer for intimate photos and to discuss sex acts. Donald Trump endorsed Gonzales for reelection in December.