At Least Four House Republicans Have Called Tony Gonzales To Leave Congress Over Alleged Affair With Aide Who Committed Suicide

At least four House Republicans have called on their colleague Tony Gonzales to either resign or refrain from running for reelection following allegations that he had an affair with a staffer who then committed suicide.

The lawmakers in question are Lauren Boebert, Brandon Gill, Tim Burchett and Nancy Mace. "He needs to go," Burchett told Axios.

The issue has been making headlines for days, with the latest developments detailing that Gonzales reportedly asked the aide, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, to send him "sexy" pictures.

The San Antonio Express-News detailed that the requests were made in the spring of 2024 in the middle of a primary fight. "Send me a sexy pic," he told Regina Ann Santos-Aviles," back then the director of his regional district office in Uvalde.

The woman said that she'd had a difficult week, telling Gonzales "you don't really want a hot picture of me." The lawmaker said he did, urging her to "hurry."

After Santos-Aviles said she didn't like doing that, Gonzales asked for one again, saying "I'm just such a visual person." He went on to ask her about her favorite sexual positions and told her he was fantasizing about having sex with her.

Santos-Aviles told Gonzales he was going "too far" twice, but they ended up making plans to meet two days later in Uvalde, where he would be campaigning.

The outlet claimed that Gonzales, who is married and has six children, pursued a romantic relationship with Santos-Aviles. The texts were provided by the woman's former husband, Adrian Aviles, with the outlet later authenticating them.

The issue resurfaced over the past days, with Punchbowl news noting that the Office of Congressional Conduct has been looking into potential House rules violations related to the alleged affair.

The outlet noted that even if Gonzales wins his primary on March 3 he could face an investigation by the House Ethics Committee depending on the conclusions reached by the Office of Congressional Conduct.

House Rule 23 prohibits members from any "sexual relationship" with employees under their supervision. Adrian Aviles said the relationship had lasted two to three weeks at that point. Aviles said he later contacted Gonzales and members of his staff to say he knew about the relationship and intended to make it public, after which, he claimed, his wife was marginalized at work.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, on his end, called the allegations "very serious" but urged for the investigation to play our before reaching a conclusion: "I've been intellectually consistent about this. whether you're talking about Republicans or Democrats, you have to let the system play out."

Authorities said Santos-Aviles poured gasoline on herself outside her home on September 13, 2025, and died the next day at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. The Bexar County Medical Examiner ruled her death a suicide, and police said surveillance video showed she was alone and that there was no evidence of foul play.