Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas announced late Thursday he would not seek reelection, one day after publicly admitting an extramarital affair with a former congressional aide who later died by suicide. House Speaker Mike Johnson and the top four members of House GOP leadership had called on Gonzales to exit his race earlier that day. The House Ethics Committee has opened an investigation into his conduct.

Gonzales’s withdrawal clears his party’s field ahead of a May primary runoff in a competitive South Texas district, though GOP leaders—wary of their narrow House majority—stopped short of calling for his resignation from office.

Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, said late Thursday he would not seek reelection, ending a congressional campaign that had been upended by his admission of an extramarital affair with a former aide who died by suicide in September 2025.

“After deep reflection and with the support of my loving family, I have decided not to seek re-election,” Gonzales said in a statement posted to X.

Leadership moves, majority math

House Speaker Mike Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Majority Whip Tom Emmer, and GOP Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain had called on Gonzales earlier Thursday to withdraw from his race.

“We have encouraged him to address these very serious allegations directly with his constituents and his colleagues,” the four leaders said in a statement. “In the meantime, Leadership has asked Congressman Gonzales to withdraw from his race for reelection.”

The leaders notably did not call for Gonzales to resign his seat. Republicans hold only a handful of seats more than the minimum needed to control the House, and a vacancy in Gonzales’s South Texas district would put that margin under additional pressure.

Johnson, meanwhile, urged the House Ethics Committee to “act expeditiously” in its investigation of Gonzales’s conduct.

Calls from the floor

Other members pressed harder. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., introduced two resolutions against Gonzales: one to remove him from his assignments on the House Appropriations and Homeland Security committees, and one to censure him.

House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York said he would support expelling Gonzales from the House—a rare step requiring a two-thirds vote.

The affair and Santos-Aviles

Gonzales acknowledged the relationship on the “Joe Pags Show” on Wednesday. His former aide, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, 35, died in Uvalde, Texas, in September 2025. The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled her death a suicide.

“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 said in the broadcast interview.

He said he had not spoken to Santos-Aviles since June 2024. “I had absolutely nothing to do with her tragic passing, and in fact, I was shocked just as much as everyone else,” he said.

Gonzales also said he had reconciled with his wife, Angel, had asked God to forgive him, and welcomed the Ethics Committee’s investigation.

House ethics rules prohibit lawmakers from engaging in a sexual relationship with any employee of the House under their supervision.

Political fallout and primary context

Gonzales, now in his third term, had faced a May runoff against Brandon Herrera, a gun manufacturer and YouTube gun-rights influencer who narrowly lost to Gonzales in the 2024 Republican primary. His withdrawal from the race clears the field.

Before the affair became public, Gonzales had said he would not resign and told reporters there would be opportunities for facts to come out. He first won his seat in 2020 after a 20-year Navy career that included service in Iraq and Afghanistan. He is a father of six.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is available by call or text at 988.