U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales announced he will not seek reelection after Republican leaders urged him to withdraw from the 2026 race following his public admission of an affair with a former staffer who later died by suicide.
Gonzales, a Republican who represents Texas' 23rd Congressional District, acknowledged the relationship during an interview on "The Joe Pags Show." Party leaders had not initially called for his resignation; instead, they asked him to step aside from the 2026 race.
The former staffer was identified as Regina Santos-Aviles, who died by suicide. The revelation of the relationship and her death prompted calls for Gonzales to step down and led to a formal investigation by the U.S. House Committee on Ethics.
Gonzales previously said he welcomed the investigation and said he would carry out the remainder of his term.
Gonzales' decision to withdraw from the race appears to clear the field. On Tuesday, he had been forced into a May runoff against Brandon Herrera, a gun manufacturer and YouTube gun-rights influencer who narrowly lost to Gonzales in the 2024 primary. Herrera beat Gonzales in the 2026 primary, but neither candidate received 50% of the vote, forcing a runoff.
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