Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales, who just advanced to a runoff in his Texas district’s primary election, admitted on Wednesday, March 4, that he had an extramarital affair with a staffer who later fatally set herself on fire.
“I made a mistake, and I had a lapse in judgment,” Gonzales said during an interview on “The Joe Pags Show,” a day after Tuesday’s Republican House primary election.
“And there was a lack of faith,” the congressman continued. “And I take full responsibility for those actions.”
Gonzales indicated that he has “reconciled” with his wife since the May 2024 affair with his late staffer, who was a married mom named Regina Santos-Aviles.
“I’ve asked God to forgive me, which he has,” Gonzales said.
“When you make mistakes like this, it’s never easy. It humbles you,” he added.
The House Ethics Committee is investigating Gonzales over the claims that he “engaged in s£xual misconduct” with a staffer and “discriminated unfairly” by “dispensing special favors or privileges.”
Leaked text messages between Gonzales and Santos-Aviles emerged last month, showing the congressman asked his staffer for “a s£xy pic.”
Other texts between Santos-Aviles and a former colleague revealed her discussing the “affair.”
Santos-Aviles, 35, fatally set herself on fire in the backyard of her Uvalde home on Sept. 13, 2025, dying the following day of the severe burns she suffered.
Her widower, Adrian Aviles, has charged that Gonzales “abused his power” by engaging in the affair with his subordinate.
Aviles has demanded that Gonzales, a married father of six, be held accountable for the affair.
Several of his fellow House Republicans have also called on him to resign over the scandal.
“There’s a whole lot more to the story, a lot more to the story that isn’t out there,” Gonzales said on “The Joe Pags Show.”
“You know, some of the reports are saying that [Santos-Aviles] was not thriving at work. It’s the exact opposite. She was thriving at work,” the congressman claimed.
Gonzales vehemently denied that he was at fault in Santos-Aviles d£ath.
“I hadn’t spoken with Miss Santos since June of 2024. She passed in September of 2025 … I had absolutely nothing to do with her tragic passing. And in fact, I was shocked just as much as everyone else,” Gonzales said.
Gonzales, 45, will face fellow Republican Brandon Herrera in a May 26 runoff after failing to receive a majority of the votes in Texas’ 23rd District on Tuesday.
Herrera, who nearly beat Gonzales in the 2024 GOP primary, received nearly 1,000 more votes than the incumbent Tuesday night.
