Rep. Tony Gonzales said Monday he will retire from Congress, after the Texas Republican faced bipartisan heat for having an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide.
“There is a season for everything and God has a plan for us all,” the congressman wrote on X. “When Congress returns tomorrow, I will file my retirement from office. It has been my privilege to serve the great people of Texas.”
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Gonzales did not immediately respond to HuffPost’s request for comment. The three-term lawmaker already confirmed last month he dropped his reelection bid.
Gonzales initially claimed the allegation was part of a calculated political attack against him.
However, the husband of the staffer, Regina Santos-Aviles, provided HuffPost and other news outlets with text messages from her cellphone that suggest the opposite. In the May 2024 exchange, Gonzales and Santos-Aviles discussed nude pictures.
“You don’t really want a hot picture of me,” she wrote.
“I’m just such a visual person,” Gonzales responded in part.
“This is going too far boss,” she responded.
Regina Santos-Aviles died in September 2025 after setting herself on fire.
After the news of the alleged affair broke in February, lawmakers called for his resignation and for an end to his House campaign. Gonzales insisted he would not resign and that the public did not know all the facts.
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The announcement came just an hour after Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) said he would resign from Congress after similar bipartisan backlash over multiple sexual assault allegations.
If you or someone you know needs help, call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org for mental health support. Additionally, you can find local mental health and crisis resources at dontcallthepolice.com. Outside of the U.S., please visit the International Association for Suicide Prevention.