Republican Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales dropped his bid for reelection late Thursday one day after he admitted to having an affair with a staffer who committed suicide.
Gonzales posted the announcement of his withdrawal on X, writing that he decided to exit the race “after deep reflection” and with his family’s support. Gun rights YouTuber Brandon Herrera, popularly known as The AK Guy, forced the congressman into a runoff election that would have been held on May 26, after he received 43.3% of the vote in the Tuesday primary, ahead of Gonzales who received 41.7%.
With Gonzales’ withdrawal, Herrera is now the district’s GOP nominee by default.
“After deep reflection and with the support of my loving family, I have decided not to seek re-election while serving out the rest of this Congress with the same commitment I’ve always had to my district,” Gonzales wrote on X. “Through the rest of my term, I will continue fighting for my constituents, for whom I am eternally grateful.”
“God has a plan for all of us,” the lawmaker concluded.
Herrera wrote on X early Friday, “I appreciate Tony Gonzales for making the appropriate decision.”
“I look forward to being the voice of TX23 that our district deserves. From the border, to oil theft, water rights, data centers, and many other issues. It’s an honor to be chosen and together we will make Texas proud,” the YouTuber-turned Republican nominee added in his post.
Gonzales, a married father of six, admitted to an alleged affair with Regina Santos-Aviles, his married staffer, in 2024. Aviles died after setting herself on fire in September outside her Uvalde, Texas home. The House Ethics Committee announced the start of a probe into Gonzales on Wednesday, stating that it would investigate “sexual misconduct towards … an individual employed in his congressional office.”
House Republican leadership including Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Whip Tom Emmer and Republican Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain issued a joint statement Wednesday afternoon calling for Gonzales to drop out of the race.
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