WASHINGTON — Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-San Antonio, said Tuesday he will not resign in the wake of the release of explicit text messages between him and his former aide, who died after lighting herself on fire last year.
“I am not going to resign,” Gonzales told CNN Tuesday. “I work every day for the people of Texas, and there will be opportunity for all the details and facts. What you’ve seen is not all the facts.”
Gonzales did not address the accuracy of the text messages released Monday which show Gonzales pressing his former staffer to send him a “sexy pic” over her objections that he was going “too far.” He has previously denied rumors he was having an affair with the former staffer, Regina Santos-Aviles, but has not commented this week since his texts went public and since Santos-Aviles’ husband started speaking out.
As Gonzales has remained defiant, a growing number of House Republicans have called for his ouster — though he has yet to explicitly lose the support of any members who previously endorsed him.
Most Republicans speaking out against Gonzales stopped short of telling him to resign, apparently watchful of the narrow Republican majority in the chamber. House Republicans currently have a 218-214 advantage, meaning they can only afford to lose one member on party line votes.
Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Waco, said the allegations are “very unfortunate”, but noted that a resignation could have negative effects on the chamber.
“There was plenty of notice given to [the voters], and they can make an accurate decision,” Sessions said. “On the side of quitting, he would throw this body into chaos. I think he has a duty to play out whatever the people have said to him and vote.”
Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Flower Mound, was the first U.S. House Republican from Texas to speak out this week, urging Gonzales to drop out of the race. Rep. Chip Roy, R-Austin, who had endorsed Herrera in both 2024 and for this cycle, stopped short of calling for Gonzales’ resignation, but urged him to drop out of the race as well.
“Due process is important for everyone, and I don’t think we need to just quickly react to everything that you’re seeing,” Roy told reporters Tuesday. “But I do think it would be better for the country if he were to withdraw from the race and take a step back and just finish out his term.”
Gonzales is facing a tough primary against gun rights activist Brandon Herrera, who came within 400 votes of beating him in a runoff last year. The candidate slate, which also includes former Rep. Quico Canseco, has long been finalized, with early voting more than halfway done and the primary date set for a week from today.
Rep. Michael Cloud, R-Victoria, told The Texas Tribune that the allegations are “extremely troubling.” and that he should consider stepping out of the race.
“If he were to win, that’s only the beginning of the troubles,” Cloud said.
So far only four GOP members of Congress, all from the House’s most conservative bloc, have called on Gonzales to resign — Reps. Lauren Boebert, R-Colorado, Tim Burchett, R-Tennessee, Nancy Mace, R-South Carolina and Thomas Massie, R-Kentucky. Another, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Florida, said the entire Texas delegation should be condemning Gonzales and that his conduct “brings dishonor on the House of Representatives.”
Most of the calls for Gonzales to step down have come from the House’s most ring-wing members, some of whom were already supporting Herrera. Gonzales is a relatively moderate member of the Republican conference and has voted in favor of bills, including a bipartisan gun safety bill that passed in the wake of a school shooting in Gonzales’ district, that are despised by the most ardent conservatives in the party.
Herrera also received the endorsement of the Freedom Caucus Fund, the campaign arm of the hard right House Freedom Caucus, which is often a thorn in GOP leadership’s side, on Monday.
House Republican leadership has thus far taken a wait-and-see approach. Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Louisiana, told reporters Wednesday that he planned to talk to Gonzales and that he was waiting for probes into his conduct to play out.
“These are serious accusations, and it must be taken seriously,” Johnson said Monday. “I’ve told him he’s got to address that with his constituents.”
Johnson and other top House Republican leaders have endorsed Gonzales, as has President Donald Trump — none of whom have rescinded their endorsements.
NBC News reported that the Office of Congressional Conduct has concluded an investigation into the alleged affair, but cannot transmit its report to the House Ethics Committee until after the primary.
Rep. Nathaniel Moran, R-Tyler, told The Texas Tribune he won’t comment because he’s a member of the Ethics Committee. Committee members maintain confidentiality over pending business.
Several Texas Republicans were hesitant to weigh in.
Rep. Monica De La Cruz, R-Edinburg, said she wants to wait and see a report from the House Ethics Committee before recommending a course of action, but underscored that the episode is tragic.
“We have a young lady who died tragically,” De La Cruz said. “Let’s keep in mind that she’s a mother of a young child, she’s a wife, a daughter, parents who love her so much and I’m sure miss her. That case has gone to the Ethics Committee, and I believe that’s where it needs to be processed.”
Rep. Brian Babin, R-Woodville, said he didn’t know enough about the situation to make a statement, “but it’s not a good development.”
Rep. Roger Williams, R-Willow Park, declined comment, noting that “it’s not in my district.” Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Atascosita, declined to comment as well.
The results of next week’s primary could impact how other Republicans choose to discuss the Gonzales situation, as could the looming ethics report into Gonzales’ behavior.
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