Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales Faces Resignation Calls After Texts With Aide Who Died By Suicide

(DailyAnswer.org) – A Texas Republican congressman who campaigned on family values now faces mounting pressure to resign after text messages revealed he solicited explicit photos from a female staffer who later died by suicide, violating House ethics rules and betraying the trust of constituents who elected him to uphold conservative principles.

Story Snapshot

Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) sent late-night texts requesting explicit photos from district director Regina Santos-Aviles despite her objections
Santos-Aviles died by suicide in September 2025 after being ostracized by staff following discovery of the affair
Her widower released the texts during Gonzales’ March 2026 primary campaign, prompting calls for resignation and a withdrawn newspaper endorsement
The scandal exposes another example of Washington power abuse and hypocrisy from an elected official claiming to represent traditional values

Family Values Hypocrisy Exposed in Text Messages

Rep. Tony Gonzales, a married father of six who publicly promotes Christian morals and family values, sent late-night text messages in June 2024 requesting a “sexy pic” from his district director, Regina Santos-Aviles. The messages show Santos-Aviles twice responding “This is going too far boss,” demonstrating clear reluctance and discomfort with her superior’s advances. Despite her objections, the two later met at a cabin, and the inappropriate relationship continued. The texts directly violate House ethics rules established in 2018 that explicitly prohibit sexual relationships between members of Congress and their staff, rules designed to prevent exactly this type of power abuse.

Staffer Ostracized After Affair Discovery

When Santos-Aviles’ husband Adrian discovered the affair in May 2024 through sexually explicit text messages, he sent a group text to Gonzales and staff announcing the discovery and his impending divorce. Rather than taking responsibility, Gonzales’ office responded by isolating Santos-Aviles professionally. Staff members ostracized her, forced her to take a month off, and pressured her to resign from her position overseeing eleven counties in Texas’ 23rd Congressional District. Over the following months, Santos-Aviles spiraled into depression, developed alcohol problems, and threatened self-harm as her professional life collapsed around her.

Tragic Death Raises Accountability Questions

On September 13-14, 2025, Regina Santos-Aviles died by suicide through self-immolation near her Uvalde home. The Bexar County Medical Examiner ruled her death a suicide in November 2025. While police reports indicate she cited her husband’s alleged infidelity as a trigger, Adrian Aviles maintains that Gonzales’ abuse of power and his staff’s subsequent ostracization contributed to her mental decline. The timing is particularly sensitive given Uvalde’s still-raw wounds from the 2022 school shooting, where Santos-Aviles had served as a trusted community representative managing district operations across nearly half the counties in America’s largest congressional district.

Primary Challenge Intensifies Amid Scandal

Adrian Aviles released the text messages to media outlets in late February 2026, just days before the March 3 primary election where Gonzales faces challenger Brandon Herrera, a gun rights activist who nearly defeated him in 2024. The San Antonio Express-News immediately withdrew its endorsement of Gonzales, and fellow Republicans including State Rep. Wes Virdell called for his resignation if the allegations prove true. Herrera’s campaign has amplified the scandal, portraying it not as a political attack but as necessary accountability for behavior that violates the trust of conservative voters. Gonzales has accused Aviles of blackmail and called for full police report releases, but refuses to resign.

The scandal represents another troubling example of Washington politicians preaching one set of values while practicing another. Conservative voters who supported Gonzales based on his professed commitment to family values and Christian morals now face uncomfortable questions about whether their representative’s private conduct matches his public rhetoric. Speaker Mike Johnson and influential GOP women are reportedly mounting pressure on Gonzales as the scandal threatens to damage the party’s standing in a critical border district. Adrian Aviles’ attorney is considering harassment and libel lawsuits, suggesting this controversy may extend well beyond the primary election into potential legal and ethics investigations that could further expose the culture of power abuse that too often pervades Washington.