Pressure is mounting on Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) to resign following the publication of text messages that show the married three-term congressman pressured a staffer to send him “sexy” pics and quizzed her about favorite sexual positions, even as she told him his sexually charged banter was going “too far.” Several lawmakers from both parties have called for Gonzales to step down, including a number of prominent MAGA women.
Regina Santos-Aviles, who served as the director for Gonzales’ regional district office in Uvalde, Texas, for four years, died in September after lighting herself on fire. Text messages unearthed by the San Antonio Express-News after her death indicate Santos-Aviles, who was married with a young child, eventually acceded to Gonzales’ advances and engaged in an extramarital affair that was discovered by her husband and, ultimately, her co-workers.
Gonzales, who is locked in a competitive Republican primary, previously denied the affair, telling the Express-News the “rumors are completely untruthful.”
But text messages made public on Monday by Adrian Aviles, Santos-Aviles’ estranged husband, show the Republican representative repeatedly pressuring his staffer for photos and intimate details.
Shortly after midnight on May 9, 2024, Gonzales texted his aide, asking her to “Send me a sexy pic.”
Santos-Aviles initially rebuffed her boss’ request, writing back: “I swear my life has been a Telenovela for the past seven days. You don’t really want a hot picture of me.”
“Yes I do,” the married father of six replied. “Hurry.”
“No,” she told him. “I just don’t like taking pictures of myself.”
Later that night he texted again: “Favorite position,” before sharing that his favorite was “on top pinning your legs.”
“This is going too far boss,” she wrote back.
Undeterred, he went on to ask about anal sex.
“never,” she responded. Adding again, one minute later: “This is too far Tony.”
Gonzales went on to ask to spend time with Santos-Aviles during a planned visit to the district; further text messages shared with Express-News indicate the pair spent time at a vacation rental owned by the family of another Gonzales staffer on May 11 and May 20.
Santos-Aviles’ husband reportedly discovered evidence of the affair on May 31 and texted Gonzales and seven of his wife’s coworkers informing them he planned to divorce Santos-Aviles after learning “that she’s been having an affair on me with your boss Tony Gonzales for some time now.”
Adrian Aviles and another former Gonzales staffer told the Express-News that Santos-Aviles was ostracized at work after the affair was made public. Amid the fallout at work and the dissolution of her marriage, Aviles told the paper his estranged wife, who continued to work in Gonzales’ district office, “progressively just started spiraling,” appearing “noticeably depressed” and “lost” in the months and weeks leading up to her self-immolation.
The Office of Congressional Conduct opened an investigation into Gonzales’ behavior in November. According to the Express-News, Gonzales failed to turn over text messages, emails, and other communications before a statutory deadline. The office is tasked with referring serious matters to the House Ethics Committee — the body that would ultimately recommend disciplinary action — but it is barred from doing so within 60 days of an election. Texas’ Republican primaries, including in the race for the state’s 23rd Congressional District which Gonzales’ represents, are slated to take place on March 3.
Separately, Santos-Aviles’ ex-husband hired a lawyer to explore whether Gonzales’ violated the 1995 Congressional Accountability Act, prohibiting lawmakers from violations of employment law, including sexual harassment. Gonzales posted a letter from the lawyer to X on Friday, accusing Aviles of trying to profit off his wife’s death, adding, “I WILL NOT BE BLACKMAILED.”
Republican women forcefully condemned Gonzales, with several calling on him to resign or drop his reelection bid on Monday.
Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo) was first to call on Gonzales to step down on Monday afternoon. “.@RepTonyGonzales, RESIGN!” she demanded on X.
“The entire Texas delegation, as well as every single other Member of Congress, should be condemning a sitting Member of Congress asking for explicit photos of their staff,” Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) wrote on X. “As a woman, this is really disgusting to see. Not to mention, it brings dishonor on the House of Representatives. I am so sick of people not calling this crap out. Again, like I’ve said before, this is not the only case of this crap up here. @RepTonyGonzales, shame on you.”
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) added in a statement of her own: “These text messages are disgusting and inexcusable…. Tony Gonzales should resign immediately and be held fully accountable for what he’s done.”
Reps. Brandon Gill (R-Texas), Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), and Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) also called for Gonzales to either step down or give up his reelection bid.
But House Majority Leader Mike Johnson (R-La.) declined to call for Gonzales’ resignation on Monday. “I endorsed Tony before all these allegations came out, and they’re obviously very serious. I’ve spoken to him and told him he’s got to address that in an appropriate way with his constituents.” Johnson added: “It’s too early for anybody to pre-judge any of that, but we’ll see how it develops.” (Asked about the situation this morning, Johnson gave no indication that his position had changed, but he told reporters that he planned to “talk to Tony today.”)
Republicans are currently clinging to a razor-thin majority in the House, holding 218 seats to the Democrats’ 214, while three seats sit vacant.
A defiant Gonzales told Politico on Tuesday that he would not resign, adding: “There will be an opportunity for all the details and facts that come out. What you’ve seen is not all the facts.”
If he loses his reelection bid, it will be a blow for the National Republican Congressional Committee, which has put over half of a million dollars behind his bid.
Gonzales’ closest competitor in the primary is Brandon Herrera, known as “The AK Guy” on YouTube. Herrera is member of the a prominent member of neo-Confederate group the Sons of Confederate Veterans, which refers to the Civil War as the “War of Northern Aggression” and has used Nazi marching songs to accompany his firearm videos.
The race is a rematch for Gonzales and Herrera. In 2024, Herrera lost to Gonzales by 354 votes in the 2024 runoff election. President Donald Trump endorsed Gonzales in December, calling him “terrific.”
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