By Olivia Beavers

Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales admitted Wednesday to an affair with a staffer who later killed herself, making the comments after he advanced into a runoff election to defend his border seat in Texas.

"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," he said on the Joe Pags Show. "Since then, I've reconciled with my wife, Angel. I've asked God to forgive me, which he has, and my faith is as strong as ever, " he said.

The remarks on the conservative radio show came a day after he survived the initial round of his fight to keep his seat, against a strong challenge from GOP primary opponent Brandon Herrera. Both candidates advanced to a runoff in May, after neither secured a majority of the vote. Also Wednesday, the House Ethics Committee said it was opening an investigation into the affair allegations. Romantic relationships between a lawmaker and a staff member are barred by House rules.

Gonzales, a Navy veteran who is serving his third term in the House, hadn't previously acknowledged the affair. He had faced calls from his own Republican colleagues to drop his re-election bid or resign altogether due to allegations that he had a sexual relationship with his staffer, Regina Santos-Aviles, who died last year after lighting herself on fire.

Herrera, a YouTuber known as the AK Guy, also said Gonzales should resign. Gonzales narrowly defeated Herrera in a runoff two years ago.

A defiant Gonzales told reporters last week that he wouldn't quit, while declining to answer questions about the veracity and legitimacy of the text messages and whether he engaged in an extramarital affair with his aide.

Gonzales said Wednesday that the circumstances surrounding the affair with Santos-Aviles are more complicated than portrayed in media reports, which he criticized, and denied the suggestion that he was responsible for her death.

"I had absolutely nothing to do with her tragic passing," he said. "There's a whole lot more to the story that isn't out there." He also denied any workplace retaliation against Santos-Aviles.

After the interview, another House Republican called for Gonzales to drop out of the race.

Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R., Ind.) wrote on social media: "Gonzales has done the right thing by admitting fault in having an affair. Now he needs to make the responsible choice, focus on his family, and stop his current re-election bid for his congressional seat."

Earlier in the day, the House blocked a resolution to force disclosures related to investigations of sexual harassment by members, instead voting to send it to the Ethics Committee. That sparked anger from its backers.

"We just had a member of Congress literally sexually harass a woman that then lit herself on fire and you all protected him!" said Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R., Fla.).

Scrutiny on Gonzales intensified after text messages from 2024 surfaced late last month that showed Gonzales asking Santos-Aviles, his then-regional district director, to send him a "sexy" photo while also asking about her favorite sexual positions. Santos-Aviles died last September.

Gonzales initially called the allegations, earlier reported by the Daily Mail last year, "untruthful." Gonzales is married and has six children.

Write to Olivia Beavers at Olivia.Beavers@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

March 04, 2026 20:50 ET (01:50 GMT)

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