House Republican leadership has officially called for disgraced Texas Rep. Tony Gonzales to drop his re-election bid.

The scandal-ridden congressman faced calls to resign after reports indicated he had an affair with a staffer, Regina Santos-Aviles, who later committed suicide by setting herself on fire. Gonzales dodged the allegations for weeks but admitted to the affair in a Wednesday interview, prompting an official call to step down from Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) as well as House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), and Chairwoman Lisa McClain (R-Mich.).

'Let's get to work.'

“The Ethics Committee has announced an investigation into Congressman Tony Gonzales’s conduct, and we urge them to act expeditiously," Republican leadership said in a joint statement. "Congressman Gonzales has said he will fully cooperate with the investigation."

"We have encouraged him to address these very serious allegations directly with his constituents and his colleagues. In the meantime, Leadership has asked Congressman Gonzales to withdraw from his race for re-election."

Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP via Getty Images

Gonzales' primary opponent, Brandon Herrera, nearly unseated him in 2024, and the two candidates are currently heading to a runoff in May. Herrera holds a narrow lead over Gonzales in the 2026 primary and has embraced leadership's calls for his opponent to step down.

"I would like to thank Speaker Johnson and House leadership for holding Congressman Tony Gonzales accountable for actions that have tarnished the office," Herrera said in a post on X. "I’m looking forward to representing the district the way the people of West Texas have always deserved. Let's get to work."

Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Gonzales has not yet confirmed whether he will step down from the race. His office did not respond to a request for comment from Blaze News.

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Scandal-plagued Texas congressman forced into runoff rematch — after barely escaping defeat last time

Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) faced a primary rematch against firearms influencer Brandon Herrera for Texas’ 23rd Congressional District seat on Tuesday — and will have to face him yet again.

Gonzales, who narrowly defeated Herrera in a 2024 runoff race, will once again battle Herrera in a runoff election on May 26 after neither candidate received more than 50% of the primary vote on Tuesday.

As of Wednesday morning, unofficial election results showed Gonzales with roughly 41.6% of the vote and Herrera with 43%.

'I think the voters in Texas are going to speak pretty loudly.'

The incumbent’s re-election campaign came under scrutiny in September when one of his staffers, Regina Santos-Aviles, committed suicide by setting herself on fire. Allegations soon surfaced that Gonzales and Santos-Aviles had been having an affair.

While Gonzales dismissed the claims as smear tactics, some Republican lawmakers called on him to resign after explicit text messages he allegedly sent to Santos-Aviles were leaked to the public in late February.

Gonzales has refused to step down, stating, “What you’ve seen is not all the facts.”

Gonzales secured endorsements from several Republican politicians, including President Donald Trump, House Speaker Mike Johnson (La.), Rep. Steve Scalise (La.), and House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (Minn.). Trump reposted his endorsements on Friday, but notably omitted Gonzales.

Tony Gonzales. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images

Herrera, Gonzales’ most prominent competitor, received endorsements from several Republican members of Congress, including Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (Fla.), Rep. Eli Crane (Ariz.), Rep. Chip Roy (Texas), and Rep. Lauren Boebert (Colo.).

Rep. Mike Haridopolos (R-Fla.) predicted ahead of the primary election that Gonzales would lose.

“I think the voters in Texas are going to speak pretty loudly. And I would guess that his days are numbered in Congress,” Haridopolos stated.

Brandon Herrera. Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images

Herrera’s internal poll showed him receiving 45% of the vote, up 24 points ahead of Gonzales.

At the time the polls closed in Texas, 7:00 p.m. local time, bettors on Kalshi Markets gave Herrera a 95% chance of winning the election.

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'Kick their a**!' Republican leadership touts key protections against men in women's sports

During a closed-door lunch Wednesday, House Republican leadership touted Congress' efforts to protect women from trans-identifying male athletes.

Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) hosted Republican colleagues, female athletes, and advocates to highlight the progress being made to keep men out of women's sports. During the lunch, Emmer shared the advice he would give his own daughter if she were to compete with a boy.

'My life changed completely in an instant.'

"I got seven kids — six boys and one daughter," Emmer said. "And this may be inappropriate, but I'm going to say the way I believe. I not only taught my daughter to compete with boys, I taught her to kick their ass!"

"But I just look at my daughter, and I asked myself, what parent would not stand up and say this is wrong?"

Courtesy of Rep. Emmer's office

Republican Rep. Kat Cammack of Florida, who co-hosted the lunch, shared the pushback she experienced trying to advocate for female athletes.

"I was the chair of the bipartisan women's caucus, and we were taking a vote on initiatives that we were going to champion as Republicans and Democrats. In the final five minutes of the meeting, I said, 'Hey, we're missing a key issue here. I think we should take a position as women on protecting women's sports.'"

"You would not believe the conversation that ensued," Cammack said. "I had more women shouting me down, telling me how hateful we were for even mentioning this and that we were going to be excluding people. I knew in that moment that we had to do something."

In the aftermath, Cammack founded the Republican Women's Caucus, where she continued to stand for women's sports.

Courtesy of Rep. Emmer's office

Several female athletes were also present, all of whom had their own experience playing against male athletes who claimed to be women.

One athlete in attendance was Payton McNabb, a former girls' volleyball player whose life was turned around because the adults around her refused to stand up for the young women on her team. McNabb was severely injured in 2022 when her high school volleyball team was forced to compete against a male athlete who slammed the ball in her face and knocked her unconscious.

"I went to the doctor, and they explained how I had a concussion, a brain bleed, and permanent whiplash," McNabb said. "All this could have been completely avoided from the start, and I could have been living my normal life playing college volleyball. But all of that got taken away because of this game, and I never played volleyball again."

"I couldn't drive for several months. I went from being top three in my class to needing extra time on tests and accommodations in school. ... My life changed completely in an instant. It was really hard on me — not only on me, but on my family who had to watch me suffer. ... That's why it's been so important to share my story across the country."

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California Republican suddenly dies at age 65

Republican Rep. Doug LaMalfa of California has tragically passed away at just 65 years old, according to multiple statements from GOP lawmakers issued Tuesday morning.

LaMalfa was a fourth-generation rice farmer representing California's 1st congressional district, an agricultural area in Northern California. LaMalfa dedicated over two decades of his life to public service, first as a state legislator and later serving in Congress from 2013 to 2026.

'Doug brought grit, authenticity, and conviction to everything he did in public service.'

At the time of this writing, no cause of death has been made public.

In the wake of the sudden tragedy, many of LaMalfa's colleagues expressed shock and extended their condolences to his family on social media.

Francine Orr / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

"Jacquie and I are devastated about the sudden loss of our friend, Congressman Doug LaMalfa," House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (Minn.) said in a post on X. "Doug was a loving father and husband, and staunch advocate for his constituents and rural America. Our prayers are with Doug’s wife, Jill, and their children."

Republican Rep. Richard Hudson of North Carolina, who also chairs the National Republican Congressional Committee, reflected on his friendship with LaMalfa, recounting personal memories with the late congressman.

"I am deeply saddened by the passing of my colleague and close friend, Congressman Doug LaMalfa," Hudson said in a statement. "Doug was a principled conservative and a tireless advocate for the people of Northern California. He was never afraid to fight for rural communities, farmers, and working families. Doug brought grit, authenticity, and conviction to everything he did in public service."

Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

"I cherished our time serving together on the Agriculture Committee and discussing NASCAR — he was a real gear head and motorsports fan. I will deeply miss my 'amigo.' Renee and I are praying for his beloved wife, Jill, as well as Kyle, Allison, Sophia, Natalie, and all his loved ones, friends and staff during this incredibly difficult time."

The House majority now sits at 218 Republicans and 213 Democrats.

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'This is insane': Tom Emmer eviscerates Democrats for refusing to reopen the government

As the government officially enters the second week of the shutdown, House Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota has a clear message to Democrats.

In a video obtained exclusively by Blaze News, Emmer ripped into Senate Democrats for putting partisan politics over the American people. Ever since Democrats refused to pass the Republicans' clean, nonpartisan funding bill before the September 30 deadline, Congress has been in a stalemate.

'All these Democrats are putting their political issue ahead of the American people.'

"The Democrats in the U.S. Senate have now voted 'no' on reopening the government seven times," Emmer says in the video obtained by Blaze News. "... You've got over 400,000 Minnesotans who rely on SNAP to support themselves. Our air traffic controllers aren't going to get paid. Our Customs and Border Patrol [sic] isn't going to get paid."

Notably, President Donald Trump's administration has made attempts to minimize pain for those affected by the shutdown, such as making sure our military service members don't miss their paychecks on October 15.

In the video, Emmer is seen standing in the United States Capitol near the Senate chamber, where over a half-dozen votes to reopen the government have been blocked by Democrats. Emmer also points out the harsh contrast between the two spending bills proposed by the respective parties.

"I'm standing in the rotunda. Behind me is where the Senate should be right now, voting to reopen the government," Emmer says in the video. "Instead, seven times now they have voted no."

The Republican-led spending bill is a bipartisan bill that continues funding the government at current spending levels through November 21. There are no ideological line items or anomalies in the GOP bill, whereas the Democrat bill is full of them. Emmer calls out Democrat Sen. Tina Smith, who shares his Minnesota constituency, for voting against every effort to keep the government open.

"You want to put illegals back on taxpayer-funded health care benefits while at the same time gutting our rural hospital fund of $50 billion that we created just this summer," Emmer says of Smith.

Daniel Heuer/Bloomberg via Getty Images

"All these Democrats are putting their political issue ahead of the American people," Emmer continues in the video. "This is insane, and it's wrong."

"Our message is clear. Democrats: Reopen the government. Let's get back to work. Put the people before your politics. Stop hurting Americans. Let's get back to work and finish the job that we were all sent here to do."

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Speaker Johnson tells Tony Gonzales to drop re-election bid after affair admission

Scandal-plagued Texas congressman forced into runoff rematch — after barely escaping defeat last time

'Kick their a**!' Republican leadership touts key protections against men in women's sports

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