Text messages leaked on Wednesday reportedly show that Rep. Tony Gonzales’ former district director, Regina Santos-Avila, was having an affair with the Texas Republican before she committed suicide in September.
The affair has caused Republicans to fear losing the 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-Avila, the San Antonio News-Express reports.
A lawyer for Santos-Avila’s husband told the outlet that the affair was an “open-secret” within the office, and that Santos-Avila stopped working for the representative in 2024 after her husband caught wind of the relationship.
Santos-Avila fell in a deep depression after, the 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 a 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.”
Other conservative political leaders in the state, such as Texas 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 their endorsement of Gonzales.
“We are withdrawing our recommendation in the Republican Party primary for Texas’ 23rd Congressional District,” the news outlet wrote. “We see a disturbing lack of character from an elected official.”
While the outlet did not mention if they believe there was a correlation between the affair and Santos-Avilas’ suicide, it did state that the affair was enough of a reason for them to walk back their endorsement of the representative.
“First, it is an act of deception,” the outlet wrote. “Gonzales is married and has six children. Second, this was not an equal relationship but one involving a staffer.”
“Third, while an attorney for Santos-Aviles’ husband has said he does not believe the affair played a role in the suicide by self-immolation at her home in Uvalde, it still looms over the tragedy,” the outlet added.
Herrera, Gonzales and the San Antonio News-Express did not respond to The Daily Signal’s request for comment.
Gonzales has also been endorsed by President Donald Trump, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., Rep. Steve Scalise, R-La., and the International Association of Firefighters.
It remains unclear if they will also walk back their endorsements.
The parties mentioned have not responded to The Daily Signal’s request for comment.
