GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales forced into primary runoff after affair allegations shake up race

Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales has been forced into a repeat primary runoff with far-right gun activist Brandon Herrera, CBS News projects, weeks after Gonzales was accused of having an affair with an aide who later died by suicide — drawing calls for him to resign.

Gonzales and Herrera are locked in a tight contest, with neither candidate expected to clear the 50% threshold required to avoid a runoff on May 26.

Gonzales was first elected in 2020, and had branded himself as a moderate. In a primary challenge from Herrera in 2024, Gonzales only prevailed by 400 votes. Gonzales has since pursued a rightward shift and touted his endorsement by President Trump in this race, although Mr. Trump left his name off a list of endorsements on Friday. 

But Gonzales had been facing calls to resign from members of both parties after texts were revealed last month between him and former aide Regina Santos-Aviles, who died in September after setting herself on fire, according to the Uvalde police. 

According to texts obtained by CBS News, Gonzales asked Santos-Aviles for a “sexy pic” in May 2024. After a back-and-forth, Santos-Aviles said she didn’t like taking photos of herself. He responded in a pair of texts: “I’m just such a visual person” and “Sorry.”

The congressman then asked Santos-Aviles what her “favorite position” is. She asked him to answer first, and he did.

The aide then texted: “This is going too far boss. So how long have you thought I was this hot?”

After another back-and-forth, Santos-Aviles said again: “This is too far, Tony.”

Gonzales, who has previously denied having an affair, is married and has six children. Santos-Aviles was also married and had an 8-year-old son. 

Texas’ 23rd Congressional District, which encompasses more than 800 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border, had long been considered a swing district, but was redrawn in 2021 to be more safely Republican, and Gonzales won by more than 20 percentage points in the 2024 election. The district is still considered safe Republican after Texas’ 2025 redistricting.