Republican Congresswomen Demand Tony Gonzales Resign Over Staffer Affair Scandal
Republican representatives, including prominent figures Nancy Mace and Lauren Boebert, are intensifying pressure on their colleague, Rep. Tony Gonzales, to resign from his position or withdraw from the upcoming election in Texas. This demand follows explosive allegations that Gonzales engaged in an affair with a former staffer, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, who tragically died by suicide in September 2025.
Allegations and Text Messages Surface
For months, Gonzales, 45, has been embroiled in a scandal surrounding the death of Santos-Aviles, 35, who claimed to have had an affair with the congressman. The situation gained renewed attention when the San Antonio Express-News published authenticated text messages from May 2024. In these messages, Gonzales is shown asking Santos-Aviles to "send me a sexy pic" and persisting despite her reluctance. He also posed provocative questions about sexual intercourse, to which Santos-Aviles responded twice that he was taking things "too far."
Nancy Mace issued a strong statement on Monday, condemning the allegations as "deeply disturbing" and labeling them an "abuse of power." She emphasized that a sitting Member of Congress accused of soliciting explicit photos and sending graphic sexual texts to a staffer undermines public trust.
Political Fallout and Calls for Resignation
The scandal has triggered a wave of calls for Gonzales to step down. Lauren Boebert publicly demanded "RESIGN!" on social media platform X, while other Republican representatives, including Florida's Anna Paulina Luna and Texas's Brandon Gill, have echoed this sentiment. Gill stated, "America deserves better. Tony should drop out of the race." These demands come as Gonzales prepares to defend his seat in the House against Brandon Herrera, a 30-year-old YouTuber and firearm manufacturer who narrowly lost to him in the 2024 Republican primaries.
Gonzales has consistently declined to comment on the affair allegations, dismissing them as "personal smears." In a statement last week, he described Santos-Aviles as a "kind soul who devoted her life to making the community a better place," but refused to address the specifics of the claims. The Independent has reached out to Gonzales's office for further comment without response.
Background and Corroboration
At the time of the alleged affair, Gonzales was campaigning for re-election in Texas's 23rd district, which includes parts of San Antonio and El Paso near the U.S.-Mexico border. Both Gonzales and Santos-Aviles were married; Gonzales is a father of six, and Santos-Aviles was a mother to a young boy and served as Gonzales's director of his regional district in Uvalde.
According to reports, the affair ended in mid-2024. Bobby Barrera, a lawyer for Santos-Aviles's widower, corroborated to the New York Times that she admitted to her husband about having an affair with Gonzales for approximately a month. Earlier this month, a former staffer to Gonzales shared additional text messages from April 2025, in which Santos-Aviles reiterated her claims about the affair.
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