Texas
GOP Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas ends reelection bid after admitting to affair with aide
FILE – Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, speaks during a news conference Dec. 7, 2022, on Capitol Hill in Washington.
Mariam Zuhaib/AP
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Mariam Zuhaib/AP
WASHINGTON — Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas said late Thursday he was withdrawing from his reelection race, after having admitted an affair with a former staff member who later died by suicide, but he vowed to finish out his term in Congress.
He had faced calls from GOP leadership to end his reelection bid, and from others in Congress to resign.
“After deep reflection and with the support of my loving family, I have decided not to seek re-election,” Gonzales said in a statement posted late Thursday to X.
The move is the latest in a quickly changing situation that stunned Capitol Hill and resulted in a House Ethics Committee investigation into his conduct. Gonzales’ decision to bow out of the race appears to clear the field. On Tuesday, he had been forced into a May runoff against Brandon Herrera, a gun manufacturer and YouTube gun-rights influencer who narrowly lost to him in the 2024 primary.
House Speaker Mike Johnson and the GOP leadership earlier Thursday had called on Gonzales to withdraw from reelection after Gonzales, a day earlier, acknowledged a relationship that has upturned the political world in his home state and in Washington.
“We have encouraged him to address these very serious allegations directly with his constituents and his colleagues,” said Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Whip Tom Emmer, and GOP Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain in a statement.
“In the meantime, Leadership has asked Congressman Gonzales to withdraw from his race for reelection.”
Johnson, R-La., has been under enormous pressure from his own GOP lawmakers to take action, and several Republicans have already called for Gonzales to step aside. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., has introduced two resolutions to punish Gonzales. The first seeks to remove him from his assignments on the House Appropriations and Homeland Security committees, while the second seeks to censure him.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, meanwhile, said he would support expelling Gonzales from the House, a rare step that requires a two-thirds vote from the chamber.
GOP leaders notably did not call for Gonzales to resign from office as they struggle to maintain their slim majority in the House, which they hold by only a handful of seats.
Their move came after Gonzales, appearing on the “Joe Pags Show,” was asked whether he had a relationship with the aide, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles.
Santos-Aviles, 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 I had a lapse in judgment, and there was a lack of faith, and I take full responsibility for those actions,” Gonzales said.
The congressman, now in his third term, had said he would not step down in response to the allegations, telling reporters recently that there will be opportunities for all the details and facts to come out.
Gonzales, a father of six, first won his seat in 2020 after retiring from a 20-year career in the Navy that included time in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In the interview broadcast Wednesday, Gonzales said he had not spoken to Santos-Aviles since June 2024. She died in September 2025.
“I had absolutely nothing to do with her tragic passing, and in fact, I was shocked just as much as everyone else,” Gonzales said.
Gonzales went on to say he had reconciled with his wife, Angel, and has asked God to forgive him. He also said he looked forward to the Ethics Committee investigation.
Johnson and GOP leadership urged that committee to “act expeditiously.”
Under House ethics rules, lawmakers may not engage in a sexual relationship with any employee of the House under their supervision.
In just a few days, the Java House Grand Prix of Arlington will take place. Bill Miller, President and General Manager of the event, says this race has been in the works for two years.
“We started, you know, conceptually, how do you design a racetrack on what are city streets and around the property,” said Miller.
Miller says they are on schedule, adding that it takes crews almost a month to set everything up.
“The track is 2.73 miles, 14 turns. You’re going to have top speeds on Randol Mill right behind us here, where the cars are going to be going 180mph,” said Miller.
Drivers will race through the Arlington Entertainment District, going past Globe Life Field and AT&T Stadium.
“We’ve now come to Randol Mill, and we’re in the area of the track that we call the horseshoe. This is going to be one of the more technical spots of the track. Drivers will be just hugging around this turn and going probably 90 to 100, 100 plus miles an hour,” said Miller.
Miller says they’ve carefully planned every little detail with the hopes of giving an expected crowd of about 80,000 people the best experience.
“You will feel the cars and that speed as they transition through this year’s area. It’s going to be pretty awesome,” said Miller.
Tickets are still available. CBS News Texas will be live at the race events this Friday.
GREENVILLE, S.C. — On Sunday afternoon, Texas women’s basketball and South Carolina will reunite in the SEC Tournament’s championship game.
South Carolina is looking to win its 10th SEC Tournament championship since 2015. Having been the Big 12’s best in 2022 and 2024, Texas is playing for its third conference tournament title under head coach Vic Schaefer.
Stay tuned for live updates.
Texas vs. South Carolina: Live updates, highlights
The Longhorns scored 20 of this game’s first 25 points and will take a 1-point lead into the second quarter. Leading the Longhorns was sophomore forward Justice Carlton, who outscored the Gamecocks by herself. While scoring 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting, Carlton also recorded three rebounds and three assists.
Carlton’s quick start came less than 24 hours after she played just four minutes in the second half of an 85-68 win over Ole Miss.
South Carolina shot just 4-for-13 from the field over this afternoon’s first 10 minutes. Over its first 14 games against ranked teams this season, South Carolina had outscored its opponents by an average of 4.2 points in the first quarter.
Fueled by Justice Carlton, Texas has jumped out to a 14-0 lead in South Carolina. Carlton already has scored six points, and the sophomore forward assisted teammate Breya Cunningham on the game’s first basket and set up another UT score by drawing an offensive foul. Carlton has also recorded a steal.
Texas has made its first seven shots this afternoon. South Carolina has called an early timeout after a start that included five turnovers and just one field-goal attempt.
Where: Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C.
PROVO — Robert Wright III wasn’t one of the four seniors honored in BYU’s regular-season finale Saturday night.
But if it was his final time playing in the Marriott Center — and in an era of the transfer portal that opens up and NBA-like free agency every offseason, you can never count that out — then the former All-Big 12 freshman at Baylor was going to make it memorable.
How about a top-10 victory, for good measure?
Wright scored 23 of his 27 points in the second half to go with six rebounds and two assists; and Kennard Davis Jr. drained the final go-ahead 3-pointer with 1 minuted, 34 seconds remaining as BYU snapped a three-game losing skid with a 82-76 win over No. 10 Texas Tech in front of a sold-out crowd at the Marriott Center.
AJ Dybantsa added 21 points, six rebounds and four assists in what most assume to be the future NBA draft lottery pick’s final game in Provo, and Davis finished with 16 points for the Cougars (21-10, 9-9 Big 12).
Christian Anderson poured in 23 points, four rebounds and nine assists for Texas Tech; and Donovan Atwell added 23 points and six rebounds for the Red Raiders (22-9, 12-6 Big 12).
Jaylen Petty scored 14 points for Texas Tech, which made 16 3-pointers — but just 4-of-16 in the second half.
That’s when Wright to work, converting 7-of-10 field goals and all nine of his free-throw attempts as BYU rallied from as much as a 13-point deficit in the first half to help the Cougars to their first win over Texas Tech since Dec. 17, 1993.
With little to play for in the Big 12 Tournament beyond pride and a sendoff for four seniors, including injured star Richie Saunders, Texas Tech opened the regular-season finale with more of it.
Anderson dropped in five 3-pointers and six assists in the first half, and the Red Raiders shot 12-of-19 from deep to lead by as much as 13 before the break.
After a short run from BYU, Donovan Atwell hit Texas Tech’s eighth triple out of a media timeout, and Anderson added another of the Red Raiders’ 12 first-half 3-pointers to stretch the lead back to 37-27 en route to a 46-38 halftime advantage.
Davis had 13 points, including three of BYU’s five 3-pointers before the break; and Dybantsa added 10 points, three rebounds and two assists on 4-of-14 shooting for the Cougars before halftime.
BYU didn’t commit a turnover until Josiah Moseley’s steal with 15:52 remaining, and Wright capped a 13-6 run out of halftime to bring the Cougars all the way back within 52-51 a minute later.
Buoyed by a defense — there’s that word that seemed far-too-unfamiliar at times during the recent stretch of three-straight losses, or eight in the past 11 games — that held the Red Raiders to 2-of-6 shooting from the perimeter, Dybantsa converted a 3-point play to give BYU its first lead of the half, 58-57 with 11:23 remaining.
Wright scored 6 straight points, Dybantsa added 4 in a row, and Keita capped a 14-2 run that lifted the Cougars to their largest lead of the game, 74-66, with a 14-2 run with 4:42 remaining.
This story will be updated.
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