UT San Antonio’s Jon Taylor pointed out how Speaker Johnson stopped short of asking Gonzales to resign, which could be a strategy to maintain a vote in the chamber.
SAN ANTONIO — Top Republican leaders are calling on Congressman Tony Gonzales to end his campaign for re-election one day after he admitted to having an affair with a former staffer who died by suicide.
“I’ve asked God to forgive me, which he has, and my faith is as strong as ever,” Gonzales said during an interview on the “Joe Pags Show.”
Gonzales noted on the broadcast he had nothing to do with the passing of Regina Santos-Aviles who died after lighting herself on fire in September 2025.
He said he looks forward to the Ethics Committee investigation that’s being conducted.
The joint statement from House Republican leadership was addressed by Speaker of the House Mike Johson, Congressman Steve Scalise and Congresswoman Lisa McClain:
“The Ethics Committee has announced an investigation into Congressman Tony Gonzales’s conduct, and we urge them to act expeditiously. Congressman Gonzales has said he will fully cooperate with the investigation. We have encouraged him to address these very serious allegations directly with his constituents and his colleagues. In the meantime, Leadership has asked Congressman Gonzales to withdraw from his race for re-election.”
Political analyst Jon Taylor with UT San Antonio said the affair has changed the dynamics of the race. Taylor believes Gonzales would likely have secured a primary victory had the revelations not surfaced.
“He’s said he’s forgiven by God, which is all well and fine,” Taylor said. “But your colleagues don’t forgive you, and the voters sure didn’t seem to forgive him.”
Republican challenger Brandon Herrera garnered nearly a thousand more votes compared to Gonzales in the primary election on Tuesday. Neither candidate secured 50% of the vote, forcing a runoff election in May.
Taylor said that request may be strategic. If Gonzales were to resign from office entirely, it could trigger a special election, creating uncertainty about which party might ultimately win the seat.
“What would be interesting though is if Gonzales actually resigned because then it would trigger a special election. But the question is how quick would the governor call a special election. You end up with somebody replacing Gonzales. Don’t know if it’d be a Republican or Democrat, though. That’s the key here since you’re really rolling the dice, which is why I think they want to keep Gonzales in office if they can,” Taylor said.
The situation could also affect Gonzales’ political backing. During President Donald Trump’s recent visit to Corpus Christi, Gonzales was publicly recognized. However, Taylor said it remains unclear whether Trump’s endorsement will hold.
“It’s quite possible that Trump may withdraw that endorsement, seeing what’s going on in this race, concerned that the Republicans could lose this House seat and then all of a sudden turn around and endorse Brandon Herrera,” Taylor said.
KENS 5 reached out to Gonzales’ office for comment regarding House Republican leaders’ request for him to withdraw from the race but has not yet received a response.