Gonzales Faces Resignation Calls After Explicit Texts Surface

'Tony should drop out of the race'

JULIEGRACE BRUFKE
MARCH 05, 2026

WASHINGTON- A growing number of House Republicans are calling for Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) to either resign from Congress or drop his reelection bid after text messages surfaced showing the married father of six soliciting explicit photos from a staffer who repeatedly rebuffed him, and who later died by suicide.

Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) was the first to go public, taking to X to demand Gonzales step down, posting: “RESIGN!”

Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) followed with a statement, writing: “A young woman is dead. Regina Santos-Aviles took her own life. The allegations against Congressman Tony Gonzales are deeply disturbing — a sitting Member of Congress accused of soliciting explicit photos from a staffer and subjecting her to graphic sexual texts. This is an abuse of power. Congressman Gonzales must address these allegations and resign.”

Santos-Aviles, a mother and regional district director in Gonzales’ office, died by self-immolation in September 2025. According to her widower’s attorney, the alleged affair had sparked a separation between Santos-Aviles and her husband Adrian Aviles in the period before her death.

Rep. Brandon Gill (R-Texas), a member of Gonzales’ delegation, stopped just short of calling for his resignation, instead calling for him to drop out of the race.

“America deserves better. Tony should drop out of the race,” he posted on X.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) echoed Gill’s sentiment, posting: “It is time for Tony to let someone else represent the great people of TX.”

And the conservative Freedom Caucus Fund went further still, endorsing Gonzales’ primary challenger Brandon Herrera and calling him “a bold, unapologetic defender of the Second Amendment” committed to President Trump’s America First agenda.

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) acknowledged the gravity of the situation but was careful not to withdraw his support, telling NBC News it was “too early for anybody to prejudge any of that.”

At the center of the storm are text messages obtained from Santos-Aviles’ phone through a forensic download by her widower’s attorney and published Monday by 24Sight News.

They show Gonzales initiating contact just past midnight in May 2024, asking his regional district director to send a “sexy pic” and making sexually explicit requests which she repeatedly pushed back on.

A former colleague told 24Sight News that Santos-Aviles had spoken openly about what was happening, describing how Gonzales had allegedly used the resources of his office to elevate her standing — championing her projects, placing her on a pedestal.

Gonzales has repeatedly denied allegations of an affair, accusing Santos-Aviles’s husband Adrian Aviles and his attorney of seeking money in exchange for silence.

Aviles’ attorney dismissed the claim, telling CBS News that Gonzales was “playing the role of a victim in a situation that he created.” Aviles responded directly on social media, writing that his family had never sought to blackmail anyone.

The allegations come at a particularly precarious moment for Gonzales, who is locked in a tight primary race against Brandon Herrera — a YouTuber and gun shop owner who has also called on Gonzales to step down. The Freedom Caucus Fund’s endorsement of Herrera, whom they praised as “a bold, unapologetic defender of the Second Amendment,” is likely to intensify pressure on the embattled congressman in the weeks ahead.

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