Tony Gonzales says God has forgiven him for affair with staffer who died

Republican Representative Tony Gonzales has said that God has forgiven him for an affair he had with a former aide who later died by suicide.

Gonzales was forced into a runoff with his GOP challenger Brandon Herrera in Tuesday’s primary for the midterm elections, as he faces calls to resign over the allegations.

The congressman, who has represented Texas’ 23rd congressional district since 2021, publicly responded to the allegations for the first time in an interview with conservative talk show host Joe Page.

Asked if he had a relationship with the staffer, Gonzales said: “I made a mistake and I had a lapse in judgment and there was a lack of faith.

“I take full responsibility for those actions. 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.”

The San Antonio Express-News reported last month that it had obtained text messages in which Gonzales’s former aide, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles, wrote to a colleague that she had an affair with Gonzales in 2024.

Santos-Aviles, 35, died in September 2025 after setting herself on fire in the backyard of her home in Uvalde, Texas. The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office later ruled her death a suicide.

This is a developing story. More to follow.