Tony Gonzales Refuses to Resign as Texts Show He Asked for a 'Sexy Pic' — Jim
Rep. Tony Gonzales refused to resign Tuesday after revelations of text messages in which he asked a senior aide for explicit photos and discussed sexual acts; jim his decision has intensified pressure from fellow Republicans and placed his March 3 primary campaign under new strain.
Tony Gonzales Refuses to Resign
Gonzales, a three-term congressman and father of six, told reporters he is not stepping down and that "there will be an opportunity for all the details and facts to come out. " He has previously denied an affair and accused others of blackmail and political smears. Gonzales has called for the full police report related to the aide’s death to be released and did not immediately respond to requests for comment after the latest disclosures.
Text Messages to Regina Ann Santos-Aviles
Newly published text messages show Gonzales messaging Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, who served as his district director in Uvalde, just after midnight on May 9, 2024. At 12: 15 a. m. on May 9 he allegedly wrote, "Send me a sexy pic. " Other messages attributed to him asked about favorite sex positions and included sexual fantasizing. The texts were shared with reporters by Adrian Aviles, Santos-Aviles’s husband, and a local San Antonio newspaper first published that it had obtained the exchanges. Adrian Aviles provided the material as evidence of what he described as an affair; he told investigators and the press that the relationship and the professional ostracization his wife faced after it became known left her despondent.
Uvalde Police Report and Death
Uvalde officials provided a police report that says Santos-Aviles told responding officers she set herself on fire because her husband was romantically involved with her best friend. A friend informed the detective that the couple had been estranged for several months after "Regina's supposed affair" strained the relationship. Santos-Aviles later died the next day at a hospital in San Antonio after the self-inflicted burning in September 2025. She was 35 and she and Adrian Aviles shared an 8-year-old son.
Republican Colleagues and Nancy Mace's Resolution
Gonzales has faced immediate and public calls from members of his own party to step aside. Congressman Thomas Massie joined Colorado’s Lauren Boebert, Florida’s Anna Paulina Luna, South Carolina’s Nancy Mace and others in demanding his resignation. Texas Republicans Brandon Gill and Chip Roy had called for his departure earlier, with Gill endorsing Gonzales’s main opponent and saying, "America deserves better. " Mace announced a resolution to force the House ethics committee to publicly release wider reports and records of allegations of sexual harassment against members of Congress.
Jim and Mike Johnson
House Speaker Mike Johnson said he would speak with Gonzales and that the accusations "must be taken seriously, " while urging that investigations be allowed to play out. Johnson warned that if allegations alone became the litmus for continued service, many members would face resignation or removal. Donald Trump had endorsed Gonzales for reelection in December, and Gonzales’s campaign is now publicly entangled with the unfolding ethics and political questions.
Campaign Fallout and the March 3 Primary
The timing matters because Gonzales faces a March 3 primary that Republicans and state observers describe as perilous. His chief Republican rival is Brandon Herrera, characterized at different times as a gun manufacturer and gun rights influencer and elsewhere as a gun rights activist and YouTuber. Herrera has run ads accusing Gonzales of a "taxpayer funded affair with a married staffer, which led to her death by self-immolation, " and has called for Gonzales to step down; Gonzales has pushed back, blaming Herrera for politicizing the issue. There is now public chatter that the seat could become competitive for Democrats as the incumbent’s campaign weathers the controversy.
What makes this notable is the convergence of contemporaneous, explicit digital messages, a police account of a tragic death, and rapid pressure from elected colleagues—factors that have accelerated official scrutiny and reshaped the immediate electoral landscape. Gonzales has insisted facts will emerge over time; jim that timeframe may not satisfy Republican critics who have already sought immediate accountability.
