Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX-23) admitted on March 5 that he had an affair with his former staffer Regina Santos-Aviles, who died by suicide in September 2025. Santos-Aviles poured gasoline on herself and set herself on fire at her home in Uvalde. Text messages published by the San Antonio Express-News and CBS News show Gonzales pursuing the relationship and pressuring Santos-Aviles to send explicit photos. Gonzales called it a "lapse in judgment" and said he takes "full responsibility."

On March 3, Gonzales had finished second in the four-way GOP primary — 41.73% to Brandon Herrera's 43.33%. On March 4, the House Ethics Committee announced an investigation, and the Office of Congressional Conduct reported "substantial reason to believe" he had a sexual relationship with a subordinate. On March 5, House Speaker Mike Johnson and GOP leadership called on him to withdraw from the runoff. That night, he did. He is not resigning from Congress. Herrera is now the presumptive Republican nominee for Texas's 23rd district.

1. He Should Have Been Gone Weeks Ago (Rep. Thomas Massie, Rep. Lauren Boebert, Rep. Nancy Mace)

Five House Republicans called for Gonzales' resignation before the primary, before the Ethics investigation, and before the admission — the texts were enough.

At least five Republican members of Congress had publicly called for Gonzales to resign before any of this. Thomas Massie (R-KY), Lauren Boebert (R-CO), Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), Nancy Mace (R-SC), and Tim Burchett (R-TN). For this group, the text messages CBS News published were sufficient. They didn't need the admission.

The evidence was always hard to dismiss. The San Antonio Express-News and CBS News published sexually explicit text messages between Gonzales and Santos-Aviles. The late-night exchanges show Gonzales pressuring his staffer for explicit images. He denied them for months. Then he admitted it.

Voters had already spoken. Gonzales got fewer votes than Herrera by nearly two points. The 61% of poll respondents who said the allegations made them less likely to vote for Gonzales appear to have followed through — even before he confirmed the affair.

2. Drop the Race, Keep the Seat (House Speaker Mike Johnson, GOP leadership)

Johnson went from "let the process work" to "get out of the race" in 48 hours — but not "get out of Congress."

Johnson's shift was fast and deliberate. After the primary, he had said it was "too early for anybody to prejudge any of that." Two days later, after Gonzales admitted the affair, Johnson and GOP leadership publicly called on him to withdraw from the runoff. The threshold moved from allegations to admission.

But leadership notably did not call for his resignation from Congress. Republicans hold a razor-thin majority and can't afford to lose a single vote on party-line legislation. A resignation would create a vacancy. Dropping the reelection bid costs nothing in the current Congress. That's the calculation: Gonzales finishes his term, Herrera wins the seat, the majority stays intact.

Herrera thanked leadership for the push. Brandon Herrera, the conservative activist, YouTube personality, and firearms factory owner, is now the presumptive Republican nominee for TX-23. The runoff is effectively over.

3. I Made a Mistake (Rep. Tony Gonzales)

From "I will not be blackmailed" to "I take full responsibility" in two weeks.

Gonzales went from aggressive denial to full admission in 14 days. On February 19, he posted to X: "I WILL NOT BE BLACKMAILED." He shared a screenshot of an email from Santos-Aviles' husband Adrian requesting a settlement of up to $300,000 for a non-disclosure agreement. At the Texas Tribune Festival in November 2025, he had called the allegations "completely untruthful." On February 24, he told reporters: "I am not going to resign."

Then on March 5, after the primary loss, he admitted everything. He said he "made a mistake," had a "lapse in judgment," and takes "full responsibility for those actions." The denial strategy collapsed the moment voters punished him at the ballot box and the Ethics Committee moved.

Adrian Aviles had been right all along. The husband had responded to the blackmail accusation: "We have never blackmailed anyone." His attorney stated Adrian had "never any intent to take this public" and they followed the proper processes. The family chose not to release the full police report and body camera footage to protect their young son. The attorney said they are evaluating a libel lawsuit against Gonzales — a lawsuit that now has the congressman's own admission as evidence.

Where This Lands

It took 72 hours. Primary loss on Monday, Ethics investigation on Tuesday, admission and leadership pressure on Wednesday, withdrawal on Thursday. Gonzales will finish his term but not run again. He's still in Congress, still voting, still drawing a salary — because the majority is that thin. The Ethics investigation continues. Adrian Aviles' potential libel suit just got a lot stronger. And Brandon Herrera, a gun YouTuber who nearly beat Gonzales in 2024 too, will almost certainly be the next congressman from Texas's 23rd.

Sources