Gonzales exits reelection bid amid affair scandal and ethics scrutiny

Texas Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales dropped his bid for reelection after admitting an affair with a former aide who later died by suicide. He said he would not seek reelection this Congress but will finish his term, as the GOP runoff against Brandon Herrera proceeds with Democrat Katy Padilla Stout in November. The House Ethics Committee opened an investigation, and leadership urged him to withdraw amid questions about the affair and power dynamics. The case involved texts between Gonzales and the aide, Regina Santos-Aviles, who died in September after setting herself on fire; the district is the Texas 23rd, a GOP-leaning seat along the U.S.-Mexico border.