US EditionGOP congressman enters Texas primary fighting to keep his job after allegations of an affair
Gonzales faces calls for resignation after text messages suggest pressure on aide; her pay rose 35% before her 2025 suicide, complicating the Texas GOP primary.
- On Tuesday, Republican U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas sought to fend off a primary challenge amid allegations involving a former aide who died after setting herself on fire while intoxicated, according to autopsy reports.
- Text messages published by the San Antonio Express-News appear to show Gonzales pressuring Regina Ann Santos-Aviles for sexual photos, while he denies the affair and calls the disclosures blackmail.
- House payment statements show Regina Santos-Aviles received a 26% salary boost and thousands in unspecified compensation in 2024, with her 2024 income nearly $73,000.
- House Republicans are split as some refuse calls for resignation to protect their 217-214 majority while Rep. Anna Paulina Luna plans a censure resolution next week.
- The 23rd Congressional District, spanning about 800 miles from San Antonio to El Paso, faces a pivotal March 3 primary as Gonzales rematches GOP challenger Brandon Herrera, who lost by less than 400 votes.
52 Articles
52 Articles
Rep. Tony Gonzales Admits to Affair With Married Staffer
Blaine Young/APRepublican Rep. Tony Gonzales admitted on Wednesday to carrying out an affair with a married staffer, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, who died by self-immolation last year.Reports detailing the affair have dogged Gonzales’ reelection campaign for several weeks, culminating in a projected second-place finish in his primary race Tuesday — though the final results were close enough to force a runoff.Gonzales had previously denied that he e…
Rutland Herald
GOP Texas congressman to face primary runoff after allegations of an affair
Republican U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas was forced into a primary runoff with his GOP opponent in Tuesday's vote as he faces calls to resign over allegations of having an affair with an aide.
U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales forced into runoff by Brandon Herrera amid affair scandal
The Republican primary was upended in the final days by reports that Gonzales had an affair with a former aide who died last year after setting herself on fire. He'll face Herrera in a runoff for the second straight election.
Rep. Tony Gonzales pulled into GOP primary runoff amid allegations he had an affair with a staffer
Rep. Tony Gonzales will face another round in his Republican primary after he was pulled into a runoff in Texas, NBC News projects, following a campaign shaped by allegations that he had an affair with a staffer in his congressional office who died by suicide last year.
In Battle for Shriveled Soul of GOP, Congressman and YouTuber Will Face Off Again (Again)
On Tuesday night, a three-term Republican congressman dogged by an affair with a staffer who ended her life by self-immolation lived to fight another day against a gun-obsessed YouTuber who’s used his platform to make light of the Holocaust. Or is it the other around? Perhaps I should say that Brandon Herrera, “the AK guy” who’s in his second bid to unseat incumbent U.S. Representative Tony Gonzales after narrowly failing in 2024, is the one who…
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