The three-term Republican congressman finds himself in a precarious political position during primary season.
SAN ANTONIO — Controversy centered on allegations of an affair and salacious messages sent to an aide before she took her own life have placed Republican U.S. House Rep. Tony Gonzales in a precarious political position during the primary season—potentially setting the stage for someone else to nab the Congressional District 23 seat.
Gonzales has refused calls to resign, some of them coming from his own party, in the wake of reports that he texted lewd messages to former staffer Regina Santos-Aviles more than a year before authorities say she died of suicide at her Uvalde home.
“Send me a sexy pic,” read one of those messages provided to KENS 5 by Santos-Aviles’ estranged husband. Later texts show Gonzales asking her about her favorite sexual positions before she replies, “This is too far, Tony.”
Her ex-husband, meanwhile, has claimed the two had an affair.
Brandon Herrera, Gonzales’ most well-known challenger in the Republican primary, has seized the opportunity after coming within 400 votes of beating the congressman in the 2024 runoff.
“Similar behavior in our military would lead to court-martial and dismissal from service, and we should not hold the political leaders who oversee our armed services to a lower standard than the one to which our fighting men and women are held,” said Herrera, a gun rights activist.
Francisco “Quico” Canseco and Keith Barton round out the Republican candidates for the 23rd Congressional District race.
President Donald Trump has endorsed Gonzales in his primary battle. Should he fail to win the nomination outright, the top two vote-getters will advance to a May 26 runoff.
The four Democrats running on their party’s primary: Katy Padilla Stout, Santos Limon, Bruce Richardson and Gretel Enck.
Congressional District 23 is the biggest in Texas, stretching all the way from west San Antonio and Eagle Pass along the border to El Paso. According to U.S. Census data, about 806,000 Texans call the district home, 63% of them identifying as Hispanic.
For more coverage and results of the 2026 Texas Primaries, visit kens5.com/elections.