Calls for Gonzales to resign grow louder from fellow House Republicans

Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado on Monday became the first of several House Republicans to call on Rep. Tony Gonzales to resign after allegations surfaced that he had an affair with a staffer who later committed suicide.

Mr. Gonzales, Texas Republican, has denied having an affair with Regina Ann Santos-Aviles. Santos-Aviles died in September after dousing herself with gasoline and setting herself on fire outside of her Uvalde, Texas home. She was 35.

“@RepTonyGonzales, RESIGN!” Ms. Boebert wrote Monday on X.

Rep. Nancy Mace, South Carolina Republican, later joined Ms. Boebert in her resignation call.

“Tony Gonzales should resign immediately and be held fully accountable for what he’s done,” Ms. Mace wrote in a statement. “[Santos-Aviles] and her family deserve better. And Texans deserve a congressman who does not prey on women.”

Newly reported alleged text messages between the lawmaker and Santos-Aviles began circulating Monday after being reported by the San Antonio Express-News. The texts appear to show Mr. Gonzales pushing his former staffer for explicit photos and making plans to meet up with her.

The Washington Times has not independently reviewed the text messages.

Republican Reps. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida and Brandon Gill of Texas also called on Mr. Gonzales to drop his reelection bid for his House seat.

“America deserves better,” Mr. Gill wrote. “Tony should drop out of the race.”

Mr. Gonzales was thrust into the spotlight last week when the San Antonio Express-News reported that Ms. Santos-Aviles told another staffer in April 2025: “I had affair with our boss and I’m fine.”

The Texas Republican has pushed back, saying he will not be “blackmailed,” and posted a screenshot from an email from the attorney for Ms. Santos-Aviles’ widower, Adrian Aviles.

Mr. Aviles hit back, directly telling Mr. Gonzales on social media that “we have never blackmailed anyone. 

What we’ve seen instead is a consistent pattern of evasion, refusal to take accountability, and outright lies to protect your image.”

Mr. Gonzales is facing a congressional ethics investigation by the Office of Congressional Conduct over the accusations. The probe began months ago to look into the alleged affair and whether any House rules were violated.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, Louisiana Republican, told reporters Monday that Mr. Gonzales’ allegations are “serious accusations, and it must be taken seriously, and I’ve told him he’s got to address that with his constituents.”

“As in every case like this, you have to allow the investigations to play out and all the facts to come out,” he said.

He did not, however, call on him to resign.

The Times has reached out to Mr. Gonzales’ office for comment.