Republicans Fear Midterm Loss After Gonzales Denies Affair
This is performative politics again.
Text messages leaked on Wednesday reportedly showed that Rep. Tony Gonzales’, R-Texas, former district director, Regina Santos-Aviles, was having an affair with the representative before she committed suicide in September.
The affair has caused Republicans to fear losing Texas’ 23rd Congressional District, and news outlets to backtrack their endorsement of Gonzales.
“I had an affair with our boss and I am fine. You will be fine,” the text message reads.
Another former staffer in Gonzales’ office confirmed the affair between the representative and Santos-Aviles, according to the San Antonio News-Express.
Santos-Aviles’ husband’s lawyer told the outlet that the affair was an “open secret” within the office, and that Santos-Aviles stopped working for the representative in 2024 after her husband caught wind of the affair.
Santos-Aviles fell in a deep depression after, the husband’s lawyer added.
Republicans, including Gonzales’ primary opponent, Brandon Herrera, have since called on the representative to resign, adding that Democrats will hold the affair-suicide scandal against him to flip the Republican-held congressional seat.
“Gonzales’s behavior also creates a tremendous potential catastrophe,” Herrera wrote in a press release. “If he prevails in the primary and becomes our party’s nominee in the General Election, Democrats will seize the opportunity to flip a reliable Republican seat blue.”
Herrera added that President Donald Trump’s legislative priorities are “hanging by a thread,” and stated that a Democrat-controlled House could end in legislative gridlock during the final years of Trump’s second term.
“Control of the U.S. House of Representatives and our party’s ability to pass President Trump’s agenda are hanging by a thread. Handing control to Democrats, who would spend the final two years of President Trump’s term obstructing, investigating, and impeaching him and members of his administration, is a risk we as a party cannot afford to take.
Herrera then called on Gonzales to resign from his seat, adding that he was “using taxpayer money to fund the affair, and “broke trust with the public by insisting that the initial reporting of the affair was false.”
You are guilty and should resign.
— Brandon Herrera (@TheAKGuy) February 19, 2026
Other conservative political leaders in Texas, such as state Rep. Wes Virdell, echoed Herrera’s resignation remarks soon after.
“The family deserves to heal and get past this terrible tragedy,” Virdell wrote on X. “That will be impossible to do if they have to see the person who did it show no remorse for the situation and get re-elected to represent them in Congress.”
Gonzales has so far denied the claims, adding that they are “completely untruthful.”
“People throwing rocks at me, saying I’m doing nasty things—I totally get that,” Gonzales said in November. “But the rumors are completely untruthful.”
“The rumors are completely untruthful, and Regina [Santos-Aviles’] family has asked for privacy,” the representative added.
The affair has also cost Gonzales crucial local endorsements. On Wednesday, the San Antonio News-Express outlet walked back its endorsement of Gonzales.
“We are …
This is performative politics again.
Text messages leaked on Wednesday reportedly showed that Rep. Tony Gonzales’, R-Texas, former district director, Regina Santos-Aviles, was having an affair with the representative before she committed suicide in September.
The affair has caused Republicans to fear losing Texas’ 23rd Congressional District, and news outlets to backtrack their endorsement of Gonzales.
“I had an affair with our boss and I am fine. You will be fine,” the text message reads.
Another former staffer in Gonzales’ office confirmed the affair between the representative and Santos-Aviles, according to the San Antonio News-Express.
Santos-Aviles’ husband’s lawyer told the outlet that the affair was an “open secret” within the office, and that Santos-Aviles stopped working for the representative in 2024 after her husband caught wind of the affair.
Santos-Aviles fell in a deep depression after, the husband’s lawyer added.
Republicans, including Gonzales’ primary opponent, Brandon Herrera, have since called on the representative to resign, adding that Democrats will hold the affair-suicide scandal against him to flip the Republican-held congressional seat.
“Gonzales’s behavior also creates a tremendous potential catastrophe,” Herrera wrote in a press release. “If he prevails in the primary and becomes our party’s nominee in the General Election, Democrats will seize the opportunity to flip a reliable Republican seat blue.”
Herrera added that President Donald Trump’s legislative priorities are “hanging by a thread,” and stated that a Democrat-controlled House could end in legislative gridlock during the final years of Trump’s second term.
“Control of the U.S. House of Representatives and our party’s ability to pass President Trump’s agenda are hanging by a thread. Handing control to Democrats, who would spend the final two years of President Trump’s term obstructing, investigating, and impeaching him and members of his administration, is a risk we as a party cannot afford to take.
Herrera then called on Gonzales to resign from his seat, adding that he was “using taxpayer money to fund the affair, and “broke trust with the public by insisting that the initial reporting of the affair was false.”
You are guilty and should resign.
— Brandon Herrera (@TheAKGuy) February 19, 2026
Other conservative political leaders in Texas, such as state Rep. Wes Virdell, echoed Herrera’s resignation remarks soon after.
“The family deserves to heal and get past this terrible tragedy,” Virdell wrote on X. “That will be impossible to do if they have to see the person who did it show no remorse for the situation and get re-elected to represent them in Congress.”
Gonzales has so far denied the claims, adding that they are “completely untruthful.”
“People throwing rocks at me, saying I’m doing nasty things—I totally get that,” Gonzales said in November. “But the rumors are completely untruthful.”
“The rumors are completely untruthful, and Regina [Santos-Aviles’] family has asked for privacy,” the representative added.
The affair has also cost Gonzales crucial local endorsements. On Wednesday, the San Antonio News-Express outlet walked back its endorsement of Gonzales.
“We are …
Republicans Fear Midterm Loss After Gonzales Denies Affair
This is performative politics again.
Text messages leaked on Wednesday reportedly showed that Rep. Tony Gonzales’, R-Texas, former district director, Regina Santos-Aviles, was having an affair with the representative before she committed suicide in September.
The affair has caused Republicans to fear losing Texas’ 23rd Congressional District, and news outlets to backtrack their endorsement of Gonzales.
“I had an affair with our boss and I am fine. You will be fine,” the text message reads.
Another former staffer in Gonzales’ office confirmed the affair between the representative and Santos-Aviles, according to the San Antonio News-Express.
Santos-Aviles’ husband’s lawyer told the outlet that the affair was an “open secret” within the office, and that Santos-Aviles stopped working for the representative in 2024 after her husband caught wind of the affair.
Santos-Aviles fell in a deep depression after, the husband’s lawyer added.
Republicans, including Gonzales’ primary opponent, Brandon Herrera, have since called on the representative to resign, adding that Democrats will hold the affair-suicide scandal against him to flip the Republican-held congressional seat.
“Gonzales’s behavior also creates a tremendous potential catastrophe,” Herrera wrote in a press release. “If he prevails in the primary and becomes our party’s nominee in the General Election, Democrats will seize the opportunity to flip a reliable Republican seat blue.”
Herrera added that President Donald Trump’s legislative priorities are “hanging by a thread,” and stated that a Democrat-controlled House could end in legislative gridlock during the final years of Trump’s second term.
“Control of the U.S. House of Representatives and our party’s ability to pass President Trump’s agenda are hanging by a thread. Handing control to Democrats, who would spend the final two years of President Trump’s term obstructing, investigating, and impeaching him and members of his administration, is a risk we as a party cannot afford to take.
Herrera then called on Gonzales to resign from his seat, adding that he was “using taxpayer money to fund the affair, and “broke trust with the public by insisting that the initial reporting of the affair was false.”
You are guilty and should resign.
— Brandon Herrera (@TheAKGuy) February 19, 2026
Other conservative political leaders in Texas, such as state Rep. Wes Virdell, echoed Herrera’s resignation remarks soon after.
“The family deserves to heal and get past this terrible tragedy,” Virdell wrote on X. “That will be impossible to do if they have to see the person who did it show no remorse for the situation and get re-elected to represent them in Congress.”
Gonzales has so far denied the claims, adding that they are “completely untruthful.”
“People throwing rocks at me, saying I’m doing nasty things—I totally get that,” Gonzales said in November. “But the rumors are completely untruthful.”
“The rumors are completely untruthful, and Regina [Santos-Aviles’] family has asked for privacy,” the representative added.
The affair has also cost Gonzales crucial local endorsements. On Wednesday, the San Antonio News-Express outlet walked back its endorsement of Gonzales.
“We are …
