By Caroline Linton
更新于：2026年3月5日 / 美国东部时间晚上11:29 / CBS新闻
共和党众议员托尼·冈萨雷斯周四放弃了他在德克萨斯州国会选区的连任竞选，此前他承认与一名后来自杀身亡的助手有染。
“经过深思熟虑并在我亲爱的家人的支持下，我决定在本届国会剩余任期内继续以我一贯对选区的承诺服务，但不再寻求连任，”冈萨雷斯在X平台（原推特）上的声明中表示，该声明没有直接提及近几周困扰这位三届议员的丑闻。
冈萨雷斯原定于5月在共和党初选中对决强硬右翼枪支活动家布兰登·埃雷拉。现在埃雷拉将在11月面对民主党人凯蒂·帕迪利亚·斯托特。
第23国会选区覆盖美国-墨西哥边境和西德克萨斯州的大片区域，明显有利于共和党人。
2026年2月3日，德克萨斯州共和党众议员托尼·冈萨雷斯在美国国会大厦。Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
尽管民主党人和共和党人呼吁他辞职，冈萨雷斯此前一直坚称不会辞职或退出竞选。但在众议院伦理委员会展开调查并他承认有染后的一天，众议院议长迈克·约翰逊和其他共和党领导层成员呼吁他放弃竞选连任。
“我们已鼓励他直接向其选民和同事澄清这些非常严重的指控。在此期间，领导层已要求冈萨雷斯议员退出其连任竞选，”共和党众议院领导层周四表示。
冈萨雷斯此前否认与前助手雷吉娜·桑托斯-阿维莱斯有染，后者于9月自焚身亡。上个月德克萨斯州乌瓦尔德发布的警方报告显示，桑托斯-阿维莱斯当晚被警方发现时仍有意识，并告诉警察：“天哪，我不想死。”
桑托斯-阿维莱斯已婚并育有一子。冈萨雷斯已婚，有六个孩子。
CBS新闻查看的两人短信显示，2024年冈萨雷斯索要“性感照片”后，桑托斯-阿维莱斯回复“这太过分了，老板”。在CBS新闻查看的与另一名同事的短信交流中，桑托斯-阿维莱斯写道：“我和老板有染。”
在与埃雷拉的初选结束后的第二天，冈萨雷斯在接受保守派脱口秀主持人采访时承认了这段关系。他称这是一个“错误”和“判断失误”，但坚称围绕这段关系的争议“关乎权力和金钱”。
Rep. Tony Gonzales drops out of House runoff race after admitting affair with aide
By Caroline Linton
Updated on: March 5, 2026 / 11:29 PM EST / CBS News
Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales dropped his reelection bid for his Texas congressional district on Thursday, after admitting to an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide.
“After deep reflection and with the support of my loving family, I have decided not to seek reelection while serving out the rest of this Congress with the same commitment I’ve always had to my district,” Gonzales said in a statement on Xthat did not directly mention the scandal that has dogged the three-term congressman in recent weeks.
Gonzales was set to face off against hard-right gun activist Brandon Herrera in a GOP primary runoff in May. Herrera will now face Democrat Katy Padilla Stout in November.
The 23rd Congressional District, which covers a large swath of the U.S.-Mexico border and West Texas, heavily favors Republicans.
Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Republican from Texas, at the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 3, 2026. Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Despite calls from Democrats and Republicans to resign, Gonzales had previously insisted he would not resign or drop out of the race. But one day after the House Ethics Committee opened an investigation and he admitted to the affair, House Speaker Mike Johnson and other members of Republican leadership called on him to drop his reelection bid.
“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,” House GOP leadership said Thursday.
Gonzales had previously denied the affair with Regina Santos-Aviles, a former aide who died in September after lighting herself on fire. According to a police report released last month in Uvalde, Texas, Santos-Aviles was conscious when police arrived that night and told officers, “my god, I don’t wanna die.”
Santos-Aviles was married and had a son. Gonzales is married and is the father of six children.
Texts between the pair that were viewed by CBS News showed Santos-Aviles told Gonzales “this is going too far boss” after he asked for a “sexy pic” in 2024. In another text exchange with a coworker that was viewed by CBS News, Santos-Aviles wrote, “I had affair with boss.”
A day after his primary with Herrera, Gonzales acknowledged the affair in an interview with a conservative talk show host. The congressman called it a “mistake” and a “lapse in judgment,” but insisted the controversy surrounding the affair was “about power and money.”
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