Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Republican from San Antonio, announced Thursday that he is ending his reelection campaign for Texas’ 23rd Congressional District after a week of mounting political pressure and revelations about an affair with a former aide who later died by suicide.
The decision came after calls from House Speaker Mike Johnson and other Republican leaders urging Gonzales to withdraw from the GOP primary runoff.
“After deep reflection and with the support of my loving family, I have decided not to seek re-election while serving out the rest of this Congress with the same commitment I've always had to my district,” Gonzales said in a statement posted on social media. “Through the rest of my term, I will continue fighting for my constituents, for whom I am eternally grateful.”
Gonzales admitted the affair a day earlier, shortly after finishing second in the Republican primary behind challenger Brandon Herrera. The admission followed reports that included a text message from the aide acknowledging the relationship, along with explicit exchanges that later surfaced publicly.
The House Ethics Committee has opened an investigation into whether Gonzales “engaged in sexual misconduct towards an individual employed in his office” and whether he improperly granted special favors.
With Gonzales stepping aside, Herrera will become the Republican nominee for the sprawling border district. Herrera previously challenged Gonzales in 2024, forcing a runoff that he narrowly lost by fewer than 400 votes.
First elected in 2020 in a close race against Gina Ortiz Jones, Gonzales built a reputation as one of the more moderate Republicans in the Texas delegation. During his time in Congress, he supported several bipartisan measures and was active on border and immigration issues, including backing the impeachment push against former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
