House Republican leaders urge Tony Gonzales to end reelection bid after admitting to affair with aide

By — Lisa Mascaro, Associated Press Lisa Mascaro, Associated Press By — Kevin Freking, Associated Press Kevin Freking, Associated Press Leave your feedback Share Copy URL Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter House Republican leaders urge Tony Gonzales to end reelection bid after admitting to affair with aide Politics Mar 5, 2026 2:36 PM EST WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson and the GOP leadership are calling for Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas to withdraw from his reelection race after he admitted having an affair with a former staff member who later died by suicide. The Republican leadership announced its decision Thursday, a day after Gonzales acknowledged a relationship that has upturned the political world in his home state and in Washington, and after the House Ethics Committee announced an investigation into his conduct. READ MORE: House ethics panel investigates GOP Rep. Gonzales of Texas over affair allegations "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." Educate your inbox Subscribe to Here’s the Deal, our politics newsletter for analysis you won’t find anywhere else. Enter your email address Subscribe Form error message goes here. Thank you. Please check your inbox to confirm. 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. GOP leaders notably did not call for Go...