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Herrera wasted no time responding.
“2 weeks ago this man called me a liar because I accused him of committing the heinous acts that he just publicly admitted to doing,” Herrera wrote on X. “Is there anyone left who still trusts this now objectively proven liar?”
The remarks captured the anger among many voters who say Gonzales spent months denying the accusations and attacking those who reported on them.
The controversy centers on Regina Santos-Aviles, a staffer who worked in Gonzales’ district office in Uvalde, Texas. Santos-Aviles was married and had an eight-year-old son. Gonzales himself is married and has six children.
Text messages reportedly released by Santos-Aviles’ husband revealed disturbing exchanges between the congressman and the staffer. In those messages, Gonzales allegedly asked for explicit photographs, including a request for a “sexy pic,” even after Santos-Aviles reportedly warned him his behavior was “going too far.”
The situation took a tragic turn months later.
In September 2025, Santos-Aviles set herself on fire in the backyard of her home in Uvalde. She was just 35 years old at the time of her death and was still employed by Gonzales’ office.
The disturbing details have drawn national attention and prompted serious questions about the conduct of the congressman and the culture inside his congressional office.
Financial records also raised eyebrows. Reports indicate Santos-Aviles received both a pay raise and a bonus in 2024, the same year the alleged relationship occurred. By the end of that year, her salary reportedly exceeded that of several colleagues in similar roles.
Gonzales has denied any connection between the compensation increase and the alleged affair, insisting the raises were consistent with broader staff adjustments across his office.
However, the controversy has now reached Capitol Hill.
The House Ethics Committee has opened an investigation examining both the sexual misconduct allegations and whether Gonzales may have improperly provided preferential treatment to a staff member.
According to reports from Fox News Digital, several Republican lawmakers are already weighing in on the situation.
Rep. Eli Crane of Arizona sharply criticized Gonzales’ behavior, calling it “despicable.” Crane has previously endorsed Herrera during both the 2024 and 2026 election cycles.
Indiana Rep. Marlin Stutzman also commented on the matter, saying Gonzales “has done the right thing by admitting fault in having an affair” but adding that the congressman should now withdraw from the race and focus on his family.
For Herrera and his supporters, the issue goes beyond personal conduct. They argue the larger problem is Gonzales’ pattern of denying the allegations while attacking those who raised them.
Critics say the congressman spent months blaming Herrera, accusing journalists of spreading lies, and even directing anger toward the widower of the deceased staffer.
Only after primary voters delivered a major political warning did Gonzales publicly acknowledge the relationship.
The election results themselves told a striking story.
While early voting showed a tighter race, Election Day voters swung heavily toward Herrera. Gonzales managed only 36 percent of Election Day ballots compared to Herrera’s 49 percent, an 18-point shift that political observers say reflects growing frustration among conservative voters.
Herrera had already been building his campaign around the claim that Gonzales was out of step with the district’s conservative base.
The YouTube firearms personality frequently pointed to Gonzales’ support for bipartisan gun legislation and the Texas GOP’s formal censure of the congressman in 2023 as evidence that the incumbent no longer represented the district’s values.
The affair controversy, Herrera argues, only reinforced the argument he had been making for months.
Meanwhile, Gonzales has defended his decision to remain in the race, claiming that stepping aside could undermine Republican efforts to advance President Donald Trump’s policy agenda.
That explanation has not convinced many critics, who accuse Gonzales of hiding behind the MAGA movement to protect his political career.
With the House Ethics Committee investigation now underway and conservative voters increasingly divided, the upcoming May 26 runoff is shaping up to be one of the most closely watched Republican primaries in the country.
Texas voters will ultimately decide whether Gonzales’ political career survives the scandal or whether Herrera’s insurgent campaign completes its upset victory.
