Tony Gonzales, a Republican congressman from Texas, announced Monday that he intends to resign from office following mounting pressure over his admitted affair with a female staffer who later took her own life.
“There is a season for everything and God has a plan for us all,” Gonzales wrote in a post on social media. “When Congress returns tomorrow, I will file my retirement from office.”
The Allegations
Gonzales, who represented a sprawling border district running from San Antonio to El Paso, was already locked in a difficult primary battle when text messages surfaced that documented his pursuit of a female staff member. He had withdrawn from that race last month.
The staffer, Regina Santos-Aviles, worked at his Uvalde district office when Gonzales allegedly sent her sexual text messages in 2024, according to her husband’s attorney, Bobby Barrera, who said he reviewed the messages. A separate colleague from the same office shared a text exchange with The New York Times in which Santos-Aviles reportedly described an affair with her boss.
Santos-Aviles died by suicide in September 2025, according to the Uvalde Police Department.
Why This Matters
Lawmakers from both parties had been calling for Gonzales to step down, with some pushing for his formal expulsion from the House, according to Axios. His resignation announcement puts an end to what had become a growing political and ethical crisis.
A Broader Pattern?
The news comes shortly after California Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, who is facing separate sexual harassment allegations of his own, also announced his resignation from Congress.
“Expelling anyone in Congress without due process, within days of an allegation being made, is wrong. But it’s also wrong for my constituents to have me distracted from my duties. Therefore, I plan to resign my seat in Congress,” Swalwell said.
