Scandal Over Leaked Texts Derails Rep. Tony Gonzales’ Re-Election Bid as Brandon Herrera Takes Commanding Lead in New Poll
In a stunning development just days before early voting intensifies ahead of the March 3, Republican primary in Texas’ 23rd Congressional District, incumbent U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales is reeling from explosive allegations of an extramarital affair with a former staffer. The release of text messages allegedly exchanged with Regina Santos-Aviles — a married district director in his Uvalde office who died by suicide in September 2025 — has triggered a sharp backlash among GOP voters and propelled challenger Brandon Herrera into a clear lead.
Santos-Aviles, 35, known as “Regi” to colleagues, served as Gonzales’ regional director in Uvalde. She was a mother of an 8-year-old son and had been married to Adrian Aviles for seven years (following a 21-year relationship) before the couple separated. On September 13, 2025, she set herself on fire outside her Uvalde home in an act ruled a suicide by self-immolation; she died the following day at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio.
The affair allegations first surfaced publicly in late 2025 but erupted this month when Aviles released private communications. According to reporting by the San Antonio Express-News and the New York Post, Aviles discovered sexually suggestive texts from Gonzales on his wife’s phone in May 2024 — shortly after Gonzales narrowly defeated Herrera in the 2024 GOP primary runoff. One text from Gonzales reportedly asked Santos-Aviles for a “sexy pic” and inquired about her “favorite sexual position.” Separately, Santos-Aviles sent a text to a fellow staffer on April 27, 2025, confessing: “I had affair with our boss and I’m fine. You will be fine.”
A former staffer described the relationship as an “open secret” in the office during the 2024 cycle. After Aviles confronted the situation, office dynamics shifted dramatically: meetings were canceled, and Santos-Aviles’ workload suffered as she battled depression and began taking antidepressants.
Gonzales has vehemently denied the affair, calling the claims “completely untruthful” regarding circumstances tied to her death and labeling recent developments a “coordinated political attack.” In a statement shared on Twitter he wrote: “During my six years in Congress not a single formal complaint has been levied against my office. Now days away from an election, coordinated political attacks reign in. IT WONT WORK.” He has also accused Aviles and his attorney of attempted blackmail, referencing a demand for up to $300,000 in a settlement under the Congressional Accountability Act related to alleged workplace issues. Aviles, for his part, has expressed frustration over Gonzales’ lack of outreach or remorse, telling the New York Post the congressman “lives his life as if nothing happened” while emphasizing the personal toll on their son.
Polls Show Dramatic Shift: Herrera Leads by 24 Points
The timing of the text releases could not be worse for Gonzales. A new survey conducted February 18-20, 2026, by Political Intelligence (commissioned by the Herrera campaign) of 543 likely Republican primary voters in TX-23 shows Brandon Herrera surging to a commanding lead:
• Brandon Herrera: 51%
• Tony Gonzales: 21%
• Keith Barton: 4%
• Francisco “Quico” Canseco: 4%
• Undecided: 21%
The poll carries a ±4% margin of error.
Favorability ratings tell an even starker story. Only 24% of likely GOP primary voters view Gonzales favorably, while 54% view him unfavorably (22% no opinion). By contrast, Herrera enjoys 52% favorable and just 20% unfavorable ratings (29% no opinion).
Crucially, 61% of respondents said learning about the alleged affair would make them “somewhat less likely” or “much less likely” to support Gonzales; only 32% said it would make no difference. When asked what bothers them more — the affair itself or Gonzales allegedly lying about it — 54% chose “both equally,” 22% said “lying,” and just 3% said “the affair.”
This represents a massive reversal from the 2024 cycle, when Gonzales edged out Herrera in a bitter runoff to secure the nomination for the safely Republican-leaning but still competitive district that stretches from San Antonio to El Paso.
With early voting already underway in some areas and the primary just over a week away, the scandal has dominated local and national headlines. Aviles has publicly urged President Trump — who has endorsed Gonzales — to reconsider that support. An ethics investigation into the matter by the Office of Congressional Conduct reportedly began months ago.
Gonzales, a married father of six first elected in 2020, has positioned himself as a pragmatic conservative willing to work across the aisle, but the revelations have energized the district’s more hard-line Republican base that has long favored Herrera, a popular firearms YouTuber and Second Amendment advocate known as “The AK Guy.”
Whether the incumbent can salvage his campaign in the final stretch remains to be seen. For now, the leaked texts and the tragic death of Regina Santos-Aviles have transformed what was expected to be a competitive but winnable primary for Gonzales into an uphill battle — one that current polling suggests he is losing badly.