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Congressman ridiculed for vow to win re-election despite allegedly having affair with aide who set herself on fire READ MORE: Congressman had alleged affair with aide before she self-immolated By MARYANN MARTINEZ, US TEXAS BUREAU CHIEF Published: 17:14 GMT, 28 October 2025 | Updated: 17:44 GMT, 28 October 2025 A Texas Congressman rocked by claims he allegedly had an affair with an aide who set herself on fire is being mocked for his vow that he can still win his campaign to stay in office. 'I look forward to another SUCCESSFUL re-election,' US Representative Tony Gonzales wrote on the social media platform X, last week, days after the Daily Mail exposed his alleged affair with staffer Regina Aviles. The Republican, 45, represents Texas's 23rd Congressional district, which includes San Antonio, Uvalde and stretches west to El Paso. Aviles, a married, mother-of-one, died after dousing herself with gasoline on September 13 and becoming engulfed in flames in the backyard of her home in Uvalde, about two hours outside San Antonio. The married member of Congress became romantically involved with Aviles, 35, after she began working for him in November 2021, according to sources who spoke to the Daily Mail on condition of anonymity. The revelation of their alleged romance has prompted calls from fellow conservatives for Gonzales to step down. 'You can’t be serious,' @JenTexas16 posted in response to the announcement by Gonzales. 'You should never hold an elected office ever again,' responded @libertyorfail. Congressman Tony Gonzales hosted Elon Musk in September 2023 as he toured the US-Mexico border in Eagle Pass, Texas. The aide he allegedly had an affair with, Regina Aviles, can be seen on the right of Musk Congressman Tony Gonzales signaled he's not resigning or dropping out of his re-election bid after tweeting, 'I look forward to another SUCCESSFUL re-election,' on Oct. 23 'No, we reject you. We’re going with Brandon @TheAKGuy now,' @steve_h2a replied, referring to Brandon Herrera, the primary challenger to Gonzales. Aviles and her husband, Adrian Aviles, had separated after he learned of her relationship with Gonzales, a source said, but continued to co-parent their eight-year-old son. Married Congressman had alleged affair with aide... before she set herself on fire Sources added that Adrian had installed cameras at the home they once shared, and footage from those devices captured his wife pouring gasoline on herself on September 13. The Uvalde Police Department told the Daily Mail that the video had been turned over to the Texas Department of Public Safety crime lab for review. Aviles, known by friends and family as 'Regi', was airlifted to San Antonio after the fire department responded to the flames and died in the hospital the next day. The medical examiner told the Daily Mail on Monday that autopsy results remained pending, though authorities believe the death was due to self-immolation. 'Regina Santos-Aviles was alone in her backyard when the fire began, which ultimately caused significant injuries and required her transport to the emergency room,' Uvalde Police said in a statement to the Daily Mail. 'At this stage of the investigation, we do not have any information to suggest that anyone else was involved.' Aviles's mother, Nora Gonzales, described the incident as a tragic accident and said the final words of her daughter, above, were: 'I don't want to die,' according to the San Antonio Express News Gonzales, a father of six, pictured with his wife, Angel, did not attend Aviles's funeral on September 25, sources told the Daily Mail Aviles was found engulfed in flames at her Uvalde home, above, on September 13. Investigators determined that she was alone at the time Aviles is survived by her husband, Adrian, and their eight-year-old son. Her obituary described her as 'a devoted mother, a loving daughter, sister, and wife and a loyal friend' Despite the controversy, Gonzales pinned the re-election message to his X account, making it clear that he does not have plans to cancel his candidacy - which had been declared even before the death of Aviles. Gonzales did not respond to the Daily Mail's request for comment but has continued to regularly post campaign content on X, sharing photos of himself at constituent meet-and-greets and with supporters. The frantic meetings over Congressman's alleged affair with aide who set herself on fire The Republican Party is quietly scrambling to replace him, courting two San Antonio Republicans, Kyle Sinclair and Grant Moody, to run in his place, sources confirmed to the Daily Mail. Gonzales's refusal to step aside is seen as tone-deaf, since he does not have enough support to win the race, political sources said. One insider said it would cost the national Republican party $10 million in donations to help Gonzales win the 500 votes needed to clinch the GOP primary on March 3. However, the party no longer thinks that Gonzales can win over that many voters in what will surely be a close race against Herrera. Best known for his massive YouTube following of 4.2 million on his gun enthusiast channel, Herrera, 29, nearly beat Gonzales in the last election. Gonzales held on to the Republican nomination by just 354 votes, according to Ballotpedia, but it took millions of dollars from the Republican Party to bolster his campaign coffers. Brandon Herrera described himself on his website as an entrepreneur, Second Amendment activist and social media personality running for Congress in Texas District 23 Tony Gonzales continues to campaign for re-election despite the scandal swirling over the death of his aide, Regina Aviles, with whom the Daily Mail revealed he had an alleged affair before she died by setting herself on fire Gonzales was already in a difficult primary race against challenger Brandon Herrera, even before his alleged affair with Regina Aviles was revealed Gonzales earned 15,023 votes compared to Herrera's 14,669. In a statement to the Daily Mail, Herrera said: 'Tony’s refusal to address the allegations is emblematic of his attitude toward the people of this district. He refuses to take accountability of any kind, and opts to pretend like nothing is wrong while declining to answer questions from voters. 'You cannot be a leader of people you don’t respect. This goes beyond politics. This is about right and wrong.' Herrera also signaled that he was ready for a fight on the campaign trail. 'You’ll certainly get the campaign that you deserve,' the YouTuber wrote on X in response to Gonzales's brag that he would win again. The AKGuy, as he is known to fans, also announced that he out-fundraised Gonzales last week. 'I’m proud to say that our fundraising this quarter has demolished what Tony Gonzales raised. We raised $829,000+ while taking no money from shady DC Super PACs, only myself and over 30,000 individual donors who believe in putting America First,' he said in an October 21 post. 'We have the momentum. We will win.' Share or comment on this article: Congressman ridiculed for vow to win re-election despite allegedly having affair with aide who set herself on fire Add comment
