Shocking Texts Allege Texas GOP Lawmaker Made Sexual Demands of Campaign Aide
Explicit text messages published Monday by the the San Antonio Express-News appear to show Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) repeatedly asked his then-campaign director for nude photos and sex in 2020, years before admitting his 2024 affair with a congressional staffer who later died by suicide.
The previously unreported exchanges containing hundreds of messages were obtained by the newspaper. The messages, which the newspaper reported date from when Gonzales was a first-time Republican candidate in June 2020, allegedly show him escalating a late-night conversation with his campaign’s political director into explicit sexual requests over several days.
Within hours of initially discussing her dating life and complimenting her as a “smart girl,” the alleged text messages show that Gonzales asked what she wore to bed, what kind of underwear she was wearing, and requested nude photos. The messages as reported by the Express-Sun, go on to describe how he wished to have sex with her and have her “squeeze my balls.”
“I know what I want and won’t stop until I get it,” one message reads, according to the report.
When the campaign director declined his requests multiple times the report says he replied: “47 nos is about my limit.” The texts then include multiple requests for photos in the following days.
Despite the exchanges, the aide, granted anonymity, told the newspaper that no physical relationship occurred and that the pair “didn’t so much as touch.”
The revelations add to mounting scrutiny over Gonzales’s conduct following a separate 2024 affair with 35-year-old congressional aide Regina Santos-Aviles, which he publicly acknowledged as “a mistake” and “a lapse in judgment.” Santos-Aviles died by self-immolation in September 2025 after her husband discovered the messages.
Revelations related to that relationship prompted backlash from House Republican leaders and led Gonzales to abandon his bid for a fourth term. He is set to leave office in January.
The former campaign director who shared the texts with the Express-News said she chose to come forward after learning of Santos-Aviles’s death in 2025.
“He obviously pursued, pursued, pursued her like he did with me,” she said. “I never took him serious… It wasn’t until this poor girl died that I thought, ‘No, this guy is pure evil.’”
“This behavior needs to stop,” she added.
The Express-News reported that it confirmed the newly revealed messages originated from Gonzales’s cell phone number and that campaign finance records indicate the staffer was employed on his campaign. Gonzales did not respond to questions from the newspaper.
