Texas Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales drops reelection bid as House opens inquiry into affair with former staffer

Embattled Texas congressman Tony Gonzales has announced he will retire from Congress after the House Ethics Committee announced an investigation into his affair with a former staffer.

“There is a season for everything and God has a plan for us all. When Congress returns tomorrow, I will file my retirement from office,” the Texas Republican said on X (formerly Twitter) Monday evening.

“It has been my privilege to serve the great people of Texas.”

It comes less than an hour after California Democrat Eric Swalwell also announced his resignation following allegations that he sexually assaulted a former staffer and made other unwanted sexual advances toward women.

Gonzales, 45, finally admitted in March after months of allegations that he had had an inappropriate relationship with Regina Santos-Aviles, a married woman who worked in his Uvalde office.

Santos-Aviles died by suicide at her home in September 2025, although Gonzales has said he had “absolutely nothing to do” with the former staffer’s death.

Gonzales previously said he would not stand for reelection this year, while stopping short of resigning from Congress.

But his position looked increasingly untenable as Republicans as well as Democrats called for his removal, with an expulsion vote scheduled for Tuesday.

Last week, another former aide came forward to accuse him of bombarding her with “hundreds” of sexually explicit text messages, characterizing his behavior as “sexual bullying”.

In an interview with conservative talk show host Joe Pagliarulo, Gonzales admitted he “made a mistake” and suffered “a lapse in judgment” while denying any responsibility for Santos-Aviles’ suicide.

This story is breaking and will be updated.