Texas Republican Representative Tony Gonzales fought to survive a heated primary challenge on Tuesday while confronting demands for his resignation over claims he had an extramarital relationship with a staff member who tragically took her own life.
The embattled congressman, who has refused to step down from office, participated in the country’s initial major primary contest of 2026 while facing criticism from Republican colleagues following media reports last month that purportedly revealed intimate text communications between him and his former employee.
Gonzales found himself in a repeat battle against Republican opponent Brandon Herrera, a firearms manufacturer and popular YouTube personality focused on gun rights who came within fewer than 400 votes of defeating Gonzales during their 2024 primary race.
Despite the controversy, President Donald Trump gave his backing to Gonzales in December, and the congressman joined other Texas Republicans during Trump’s recent visit to the state’s coastal region.
“There will be opportunities for all of the details and facts to come out,” Gonzales stated last week while in Washington. “What you’ve seen is not all the facts.”
The father of six children initially secured his congressional seat in 2020 following two decades of military service in the U.S. Navy, including deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
His 2020 victory surprised Democratic strategists in the expansive border district that spans from western San Antonio all the way to El Paso along the Mexican frontier. Trump’s unexpectedly robust showing among Hispanic voters in the Rio Grande Valley helped propel Gonzales to victory.
In recent social media statements, Gonzales claimed he was being subjected to blackmail and later indicated he believed he was facing “coordinated political attacks.”
According to the San Antonio Express-News, the publication acquired text messages where the former aide, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, allegedly told a coworker about having an affair with Gonzales.
The Associated Press has not verified or obtained independent copies of these communications. Legal representation for Adrian Aviles, the deceased woman’s spouse, confirmed that her husband learned of the alleged relationship prior to her death.
Santos-Aviles, age 35, died in September 2025 after igniting herself in her Uvalde residence’s backyard. Officials at the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office subsequently determined her death was suicide.
