House Republican leaders urge Tony Gonzalez to end his re-election bid after he admits to having an affair with his aide.

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson and GOP leadership have called on Republican Rep. Tony Gonzalez of Texas to withdraw from his re-election race after he admitted to having an affair with a former staffer who later died by suicide.

The Republican leadership announced its decision on Thursday, a day after Gonzalez admitted to having a relationship that upended the political world in his state and in Washington, and after the House Ethics Committee announced an investigation into his behavior.

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“We have encouraged him to address these very serious allegations directly with his constituents and colleagues,” Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Whip Tom Emmer and GOP Conference Chair Lisa McClain said in a statement.

“Meanwhile, leadership has asked Congressman Gonzalez to withdraw from his race for re-election.”

Johnson, R-Los Angeles, has come under enormous pressure from GOP lawmakers to take action, and several Republicans have already called on Gonzalez to step down. Rep. Ana Paulina Luna, R-Fla., introduced two resolutions to punish Gonzalez. The first seeks to remove him from his duties in the Appropriations and Homeland Security committees, while the second seeks to censure him.

GOP leaders have not particularly called on Gonzalez to resign as they struggle to maintain their slim majority in the House of Representatives, which they hold only a handful of seats.

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The move came after Gonzalez, who appeared on the “Joe Pags Show,” was asked if he had a relationship with assistant, Regina Ann Santos Avilés.

Santos Avilés, 35, died 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.

“I made a mistake and lapse in judgment, there was a lack of faith, and I take full responsibility for those actions,” Gonzalez said.

The congressman, who is now serving his third term, said he would not step down in response to these accusations, and recently told reporters that there would be opportunities to reveal all the details and facts.

Gonzalez, a father of six, won his seat for the first time in 2020 after retiring from a 20-year career in the Navy that included time in Iraq and Afghanistan. On Tuesday, he was forced into a May runoff against Brandon Herrera, a gunsmith and gun rights YouTube influencer who narrowly lost to Gonzalez in the 2024 primary.

In his interview broadcast on Wednesday, Gonzalez said that he had not spoken to Santos Avilés since June 2024, and that she died in September 2025.

“I had absolutely nothing to do with her tragic death, and in fact, I was as shocked as anyone else,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez went on to say that he had reconciled with his wife, Angel, and asked God to forgive him. He also said he looked forward to the Ethics Commission’s investigation.

Johnson and the Republican Party leadership urged that committee to “act quickly.”

Under House ethics rules, lawmakers may not engage in a sexual relationship with any House employee under their supervision.