Tony Gonzales Trailing GOP Primary Rival By More Than 20 Points Following Controversy Over Alleged Affair With Aide

Rep. Tony Gonzales is trailing his opponent in the GOP primary in Texas' 23rd district by more than 20 points amid controversy over an alleged affair with an aide who later committed suicide.

The New York Post detailed that Gonzales would get just 21% of the support from likely voters in the March 3 primary, where he will face YouTuber and firearms enthusiast Brandon Herrera.

Herrera, in turn, is getting 45% of the support, placing him as the favorite in a potential runoff, which would take place on May 26. Moreover, 26% of respondents said they were undecided, while former Rep. Francisco "Quico" Canseco and construction executive Keith Barton got 4% of the support each.

Elsewhere in the poll, 54% of respondents said they had an "unfavorable" view of Gonzales, compared to 24% who said they still support him.

Support for Gonzales is also eroding in Congress. At least four House Republicans have called on him to either resign or refrain from running for reelection.

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

The latest developments involve a report detailing that Gonzales asked the then-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 texts were provided by the woman's former husband, Adrian Aviles, with the outlet later authenticating them.

Elsewhere, Punchbowl news noted 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 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."