House Speaker Mike Johnson Calls for Gonzales to End Re-Election Campaign After Affair Admission
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), in a joint statement with other senior House Republicans, publicly urged Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) to drop his re-election bid on Thursday. This move comes after Gonzales admitted to having an affair with a staffer in 2024, a violation of House rules that has sparked an investigation by the House Ethics Committee.
Leadership Withdraws Support Amid Primary Election Results
Johnson's statement, issued alongside Reps. Steve Scalise (La.), Tom Emmer (Minn.), and Lisa McClain (Mich.), emphasized that leadership has asked Gonzales to address the scandal with his colleagues and constituents. "In the meantime, Leadership has asked Congressman Gonzales to withdraw from his race for re-election," Johnson declared. The decision to pull support was likely facilitated by Gonzales' poor performance in Tuesday's primary election, where he received fewer votes than his main opponent, Brandon Herrera, forcing a runoff scheduled for May.
Gonzales Admits to Affair and Controversial Aftermath
After months of denial, Gonzales confessed in a radio interview on Wednesday to a sexual relationship with a staffer in 2024. "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," he told conservative broadcaster Joe Pags. He added that he has reconciled with his wife and sought forgiveness from God. However, the affair had tragic consequences: the staffer died last year after setting herself on fire, with her husband attributing her depressive spiral to the discovery of the affair. Text messages revealed Gonzales had requested "a sexy pic" and made other sexual advances late at night in 2024.
Colleagues Demand Resignation and Gonzales Fights Back
Several Republican colleagues have gone further, calling for Gonzales to resign outright rather than merely quit his campaign. In his radio interview, after accepting responsibility, Gonzales adopted a combative stance, accusing the staffer's widower of using her death to extort a $300,000 settlement and blaming the media for distorting the story. "From day one, this has been about power and money," Gonzales asserted, adding, "You cannot hate the media enough." This response has intensified the political fallout, raising questions about his future in Congress and the ongoing ethics probe.
