A Republican House staffer who died after setting herself on fire last year claimed in text messages to have had an affair with Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX).

According to The San Antonio Express-News, "A former staffer in Gonzales' district office who worked closely with the aide, Regina Ann 'Regi' Santos-Aviles, said she told him they had an affair in 2024, and that she spiraled into a depression after her husband discovered the relationship and Gonzales abruptly cut her off. He also shared with the San Antonio Express-News a screenshot of a text message from Santos-Aviles in which she acknowledged having an 'affair with our boss.'"

Gonzales is a married father of six.

"A lawyer for Santos-Aviles' husband said her romantic relationship with the congressman was an open secret, and that he does not believe it played a role in her death," said the report. However, "The staffer, who asked not to be named, citing a fear of retaliation, faulted Gonzales' office for failing to intervene, saying he warned the congressman's district director months before Santos-Aviles' death that he was concerned about her well-being. He described her as his 'best friend' and said their families knew each other."

Gonzales, who represents a sprawling district that covers most of the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas as well as the southwestern suburbs of San Antonio, is currently locked in a tough primary race with gun rights activist Brandon Herrera, who also fielded a close challenge for this seat in 2024.

The San Antonio Express-News, Gonzales’ hometown newspaper, reported on a text message from Regina Santos-Aviles, a former aide to the congressman, who said she had an extramarital affair with Gonzales. Santos-Aviles died by suicide last year.

While these allegations against the Texas Republican have come up before, and Gonzales, a married father of six, has long denied any wrongdoing, the Express-News reported that a former aide to the congressman came forward to say that Santos-Aviles told him about the relationship. That same aide (who asked not to be named by the Express-News, citing a fear of retaliation) provided a text message from Santos-Aviles in which she said she “had an affair with our boss.” (He shared the same evidence with The New York Times.)

The unproven accusations are notable for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that the Express-News’ report was published just two weeks before the primary in Texas. Indeed, The Wall Street Journal reported that Gonzales’ principal intraparty rival believes it’s time for the incumbent to quit.

The top Republican challenger to Rep. Tony Gonzales called for him to drop out of the primary race on Wednesday following allegations that he engaged in an extramarital affair with an aide.

As early voting kicked off in Texas, Brandon Herrera said Gonzalez should discontinue his re-election campaign because of an alleged relationship with the aide, Regina Santos-Aviles … Separately on Wednesday, the lawyer for Santos-Aviles’s husband said Gonzales publicly needs to take accountability for what he described as an inappropriate sexual affair between a boss and his subordinate.

In his latest statement, the congressman, who barely prevailed in a primary race two years ago, did not directly address the underlying allegation. Rather, Gonzales praised Santos-Aviles’ work and accused his primary challenger of using a “disgruntled former staffer to smear her memory and score political points” as early voting began.

Time will tell whether and to what extent local voters are moved by the controversy, but the editorial board of the Express-News, which endorsed Gonzales’ re-election bid, changed its mind in a piece published this week. Watch this space

Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas was already facing a serious scandal. On Monday, however, newly released text messages between the congressman and a former aide generated something new: bipartisan calls for his resignation. The New York Times highlighted some of Gonzales’ GOP colleagues who now believe he needs to go.

‘Resign!’ wrote Representative Lauren Boebert, a hard-right Republican from Colorado, in a social media post that included images of the text messages. Representative Anna Paulina Luna, a Florida Republican on the House Oversight Committee, urged colleagues to condemn Mr. Gonzales for ‘asking for explicit photos’ of a member of his staff. … Representative Nancy Mace, Republican of South Carolina, also said Mr. Gonzales should resign immediately instead of ‘campaigning like nothing happened.’

A variety of other GOP officials, including Texas Reps. Chip Roy and Brandon Gill, stopped short of calling for Gonzales’ ouster, but they urged him to end his re-election campaign in light of the allegations.

The underlying scandal reached new heights last week when The San Antonio Express-News, Gonzales’ hometown newspaper, reported on a text message from Regina Santos-Aviles, a former aide to the congressman, who said she had an extramarital affair with Gonzales. Santos-Aviles died by suicide last year.....

Pressed for answers on Monday, House Speaker Mike Johnson conceded that the underlying allegations are “serious,” adding that he’s urged Gonzales to address the controversy “in an appropriate way with his constituents.” The Louisiana Republican did not, however, join the list of members calling on Gonzales to step down, concluding, “It’s too early for anybody to prejudge any of that, but we’ll see how it develops.”

Johnson is hardly a dispassionate observer. His House Republican Conference was already shrinking when, earlier this month, the GOP majority in the chamber was reduced to a one-vote margin. If Gonzales were to resign, his party’s advantage would hardly exist at all, and the Republicans’ ability to move legislation would largely come to an end, at least for a few months.