House Republican leaders asked Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) to suspend his 2026 reelection campaign on Thursday, less than a day after the scandal-ridden Texas congressman admitted he had an affair with his staffer.
“The Ethics Committee has announced an investigation into Congressman Tony Gonzales’s conduct, and we urge them to act expeditiously,” the leadership team said in a statement. “Congressman Gonzales has said he will fully cooperate with the investigation. We have encouraged him to address these very serious allegations directly with his constituents and his colleagues. In the meantime, Leadership has asked Congressman Gonzales to withdraw from his race for re-election.”
The statement comes after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) warned people not to “prejudge” the allegations surrounding Gonzales and that they should “let the process play out.” The House Ethics Committee announced Wednesday it was forming a special subcommittee to investigate the allegations.
The panel’s move came one day after Gonzales was forced into a GOP primary runoff for his House seat.
Text messages released to the public last week showed the congressman appearing to pressure a former aide, Regina Santos-Aviles, into a sexual relationship. Santos-Aviles, who was married at the time of the messages, died by suicide last year after setting herself on fire.
Gonzales had told reporters that “what you have seen are not all the facts” and said he would not resign. But he later admitted to the affair during an interview with a conservative talk show on Wednesday night.
“I made a mistake, and I had a lapse in judgment,” Gonzales said in the interview. “I take full responsibility for those actions.”
Gonzales added that he has made amends with his wife and asked God to forgive him, “which He has.”
The leadership team joins several of its rank-and-file members calling on Gonzales to either resign or suspend his reelection bid. At least six Republicans have said Gonzales should resign, while a few have said he should withdraw from the GOP primary in Texas. Others have condemned the conduct but said they would wait for an investigation before making further judgement.
House Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-MI) told reporters on Thursday shortly after the leadership’s statement went public that she hopes Gonzales will finish out his term. Republicans have a one-seat majority, and while his resignation wouldn’t impact that margin, the conference has been struggling to pass bills due to absences involving campaigns, deaths, or injuries.
“We didn’t call for him to resign, we asked him to … withdraw from the race. So I would refer you to the statement that leadership put out,” McClain said.
Gonzales is facing a competitive primary challenge from Brandon Herrera, whom the congressman beat in a runoff election in 2024 by roughly 400 votes. The pair is now headed to another runoff at the end of May, after neither candidate received the 50% required to win the race.
When asked by the Washington Examiner if House GOP leadership plans to endorse Herrera, McClain said they ‘haven’t gotten that far yet.” She also wouldn’t commit to personally endorsing him, saying, “I haven’t gotten that far yet.”
REP. TONY GONZALES ADMITS TO AFFAIR WITH STAFFER WHO DIED BY SUICIDE: ‘LAPSE IN JUDGMENT’
As of Thursday at 9:17 a.m., Herrera holds a slight 43.3% to 41.7% lead over Gonzales by less than 1,000 votes.
Herrera is backed by the House Freedom Caucus and its political action committee, the House Freedom Fund, as well as other conservative groups and personalities. Leadership had taken a backseat approach to the race up until Thursday.