House Republican leadership said Thursday that Rep. Tony Gonzales should withdraw his bid for reelection following his admission that he had an affair with one of his staffers.
Gonzales is facing an Ethics Committee investigation into his conduct, as Speaker Mike Johnson, Leader Steve Scalise, Whip Tom Emmer and House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain noted in a joint statement.
“Congressman Gonzales has said he will fully cooperate with the investigation,” they said. “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.”
Gonzales did not receive enough votes in his primary this week to fend off challenger Brandon Herrera, who received the backing of some fellow Republicans. The two are headed for a runoff.
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Until now, Republican leaders have been relatively quiet about Gonzales’ political future. Johnson endorsed him previously and did not withdraw his support ahead of Tuesday’s primary.
Then came the runoff, the ethics investigation and Gonzales’ admission. Gonzales said on Wednesday that he had an affair with a married staffer, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, who died by suicide in September.
“I made a mistake, and there was a lapse in judgment, and there was a lack of faith, and I take full responsibility for those actions,” Gonzales said in an interview with conservative radio host Joe Pagliarulo.
Previously, Gonzales had denied the affair after a settlement request from the attorney of Santos-Aviles’ husband.
However, the San Antonio Express-News reported on text messages between Gonzales and Santos-Aviles, his then-regional district director, in February. The article alleged that Gonzales pushed her to have sexual conversations despite her repeated hesitation.
Since reports of the affair, some of Gonzales’ congressional colleagues have called for him to resign, including Reps. Lauren Boebert, Anna Paulina Luna and Thomas Massie.
Rep. Nancy Mace even introduced a resolution after rumors of the affair that would require the House Ethics Committee to release all records of investigations into members with sexual harassment allegations. However, rather than voting on the measure directly, the House voted 357-65 to refer the resolution to the House Ethics Committee.
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