Washington– Washington (AFP) – Republican Rep. Tony Gonzalez The Texas state representative announced late Thursday that he would withdraw from his re-election race, after he admitted to having an affair with a former employee who later died by suicide, but he pledged to complete his term in Congress.
He has faced calls from GOP leadership to end his re-election bid, and from others in Congress to resign.
“After careful consideration and with the support of my loving family, I have decided not to run for re-election,” Gonzalez said in a statement posted late Thursday on X.
The move is the latest in a rapidly changing situation that has stunned Capitol Hill and led to a House Ethics Committee investigation into his conduct. Gonzalez’s decision to withdraw from the race appears to be paving the way. On Tuesday, it was He was forced to a runoff in May Against Brandon Herrera, a gun maker and gun rights YouTube influencer to whom he narrowly lost in the 2024 primary.
Earlier on Thursday, House Speaker Mike Johnson and the Republican Party leadership called on Gonzalez to withdraw from re-election after Gonzalez admitted, the previous day, to the existence of a relationship that upended the political world in his state and in Washington.
“We have encouraged him to address these very serious allegations directly with his constituents and colleagues,” Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Whip Tom Emmer and GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain said in a statement.
“Meanwhile, leadership has asked Congressman Gonzalez to withdraw from his race for re-election.”
Johnson, R-Los Angeles, has come under enormous pressure from GOP lawmakers to take action, and several Republicans have already called on Gonzalez to step down. Rep. Ana Paulina Luna, R-Fla., introduced two resolutions to punish Gonzalez. The first seeks to remove him from his duties in the Appropriations and Homeland Security committees, while the second seeks to censure him.
Meanwhile, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said he would support expelling Gonzalez from the chamber, a rare move that would require a two-thirds vote of the chamber.
GOP leaders in particular have not called on Gonzalez to resign from office as they struggle to maintain their slim majority in the House of Representatives, which they hold only a handful of seats.
Their move came next Gonzalez, During an appearance on the “Joe Pags Show,” he was asked if he was in a relationship with assistant Regina Ann Santos Aviles.
Santos Avilés, 35, died after setting herself on fire in the backyard of her home in Uvalde, Texas. The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office later ruled her death a suicide.
“I made a mistake and lapse in judgment, and there was a lack of faith, and I take full responsibility for those actions,” Gonzalez said.
Congressman, now in his third term, He said He did not step down in response to these accusations, and recently told reporters that there would be opportunities for all the details and facts to emerge.
Gonzalez, a father of six, won his seat for the first time in 2020 after retiring from a 20-year career in the Navy that included time in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In the interview broadcast on Wednesday, Gonzalez said he had not spoken to Santos Avilés since June 2024. She died in September 2025.
“I had absolutely nothing to do with her tragic death, and in fact, I was as shocked as anyone else,” Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez went on to say that he had reconciled with his wife, Angel, and asked God to forgive him. He also said he looked forward to the Ethics Commission’s investigation.
Johnson and the Republican Party leadership urged that committee to “act quickly.”
Under House ethics rules, lawmakers may not engage in a sexual relationship with any House employee under their supervision.