The embattled Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, announced Thursday night that he will drop his bid for re-election but will serve out the rest of his term in Congress, following a tumultuous set of weeks for the congressman who admitted to having an affair with an aide who later died by suicide.
Republican leadership rebuked Gonzales earlier on Thursday, with House Speaker Mike Johnson, who leads a razor-thin GOP majority in the lower chamber, calling on him to retire at the end of his term but not resign from the role entirely.
Gonzales had faced calls to resign from several of his fellow Republicans, and the House Ethics Committee on Wednesday announced that it would open an investigation into the congressman.
Gonzales was running for re-election to his seat against pro-gun candidate Brandon Herrera. Neither of them gained more than 50% of the vote in a Tuesday primary, forcing Gonzales into a runoff that had been scheduled for May 26.
Gonzales during a podcast interview on Wednesday appeared to admit the affair with his former aide Regina Santos-Aviles, saying: “I made a mistake, and I had a lapse in judgment. And there was a lack of faith, and I take full responsibility for those actions.”
Gonzales then added that he and his wife have “reconciled.”
NBC News previously reported that Gonzales and Santos-Aviles had exchanged sexual texts in 2024. Santos-Aviles’ widower, Adrian Aviles, verified the texts.
