{"id":2573555,"date":"2026-02-25T13:25:02","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T18:25:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mike-johnson-says-gonzales-controversy-will-play-out-in-texas-primary\/"},"modified":"2026-02-25T13:26:20","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T18:26:20","slug":"mike-johnson-says-gonzales-controversy-will-play-out-in-texas-primary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mike-johnson-says-gonzales-controversy-will-play-out-in-texas-primary\/","title":{"rendered":"Mike Johnson says Gonzales controversy will play out in Texas primary"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fmike-johnson-says-gonzales-controversy-will-play-out-in-texas-primary%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2573555&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article reports that House Speaker Mike Johnson urged Rep.Tony Gonzales to address serious accusations related to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/terry-mcauliffe-fundraises-for-virginia-dem-who-served-time-for-underage-sex\/\" title=\"Terry McAuliffe Fundraises for Virginia Dem Who Served Time for Underage Sex\">explicit text messages<\/a> with a former staffer who died by suicide, saying constituents deserve to here about it directly as Gonzales faces a Texas primary. Several Republican lawmakers have called on Gonzales to resign or bow out of reelection amid the allegations and a push for transparency from the House Ethics Committee. Gonzales denies the charges and says he will not resign, arguing that due process should play out. The Texas congressman, who represents a border district, is facing a primary challenge from Brandon Herrera, among others, while Rep. nancy Mace has filed a resolution to publicly release all reports of sexual harassment investigations into members of Congress. The article notes that the late staffer, Regina Santos-Aviles, died in 2025 after setting herself on fire, with authorities ruling the death a suicide, and situates the controversy within broader scrutiny of inappropriate conduct in Congress.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Johnson says Gonzales controversy will play out in his Texas primary<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2515356\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>House Speaker <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/mike-johnson\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"7043\">Mike Johnson<\/a> (R-LA) told reporters that Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/tony-gonzales\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"11307\">Tony Gonzales<\/a>&lsquo;s (R-TX) constituents would be the judges, after the Texas representative&rsquo;s alleged explicit text messages with a former, now deceased, staffer were <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4467526\/read-tony-gonzales-explicit-texts-late-staffer\/\">revealed<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve said to him publicly and privately, he&rsquo;s got to address that directly and head on with his constituents,&rdquo; Johnson <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/live-updates\/2026\/02\/25\/congress\/speaker-watching-gonzales-primary-00797668\">said to<\/a> Capitol Hill reporters Wednesday. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a primary there in less than a week, these things will play out.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4470271\/inside-chamber-state-of-the-union-trump-under-democrats-skin\/\">Inside the Chamber: Trump gets under Democrats&#8217; skin at State of the Union<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4470732\/trump-pelosi-stock-trading-congress-state-of-the-union\/\">Trump mocks Nancy Pelosi in call to pass stock trading ban<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4470743\/trump-shames-democrats-protect-americans-illegal-immigrants\/\">Trump shames Democrats for refusing to stand on call to put Americans over illegal immigrants<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Johnson&rsquo;s comments come as several House Republicans have called on Gonzales to resign or abandon his reelection bid over the allegations he had an affair with a staffer and sent her <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4467526\/read-tony-gonzales-explicit-texts-late-staffer\/\"><a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >late-night explicit text messages<\/a><\/a> asking for sexual images. The staffer, Regina Santos-Aviles, died in 2025 after setting herself on fire, with authorities ruling her death a suicide.<\/p>\n<p>Reps. Tim Burchett (R-TN), Lauren Boebert (R-CO),&nbsp;Kevin Kiley&nbsp;(R-CA), Nancy Mace (R-SC), and Thomas Massie (R-KY) have all <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4469480\/tony-gonzales-will-not-resign-alleged-staffer-affair\/\">called on Gonzales to resign<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Gonzales has denied the allegations and told reporters on Tuesday, &ldquo;I will not resign.&rdquo; He also told CNN that &ldquo;what you have seen are not all the facts.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The third-term Texas congressman is up for reelection in November in his border district. He is facing a primary challenge from several candidates, including from firearm manufacturer Brandon Herrera, whom Gonzales bested by 1.2% in a 2024 primary runoff. Herrera sports <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/brandonherreraforcongress.com\/endorsements\/\">endorsements<\/a> from Reps. Chip Roy (R-TX), Eli Crane (R-AZ), Mary Miller (R-IL), and Boebert.<\/p>\n<p>Mace also filed a resolution in the House Ethics Committee, asking them to publicly <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/4469209\/nancy-mace-tony-gonzales-sexual-harassment-congress-text-messages\/\">release all reports<\/a> of their sexual harassment investigations into members of Congress.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Tony Gonzales is just the tip of the iceberg,&rdquo; Mace <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RepNancyMace\/status\/2026296707139408215?s=20\">wrote on X<\/a>. &ldquo;There is no place for sexual harassment or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/appeals-court-suspects-anti-male-bias-resulting-from-obamas-title-ix-rules\/\" title=\"Appeals Court Suspects Anti-Male Bias Resulting From Obama\u2019s Title IX Rules\">unwelcome sexual advances<\/a> in the House of Representatives. And we won&rsquo;t let the Washington establishment keep protecting its own. End of story.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><strong><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4469480\/tony-gonzales-will-not-resign-alleged-staffer-affair\/\">TONY GONZALES WON&rsquo;T RESIGN AFTER EXPLICIT TEXT MESSAGES WITH DEAD STAFFER EXPOSED<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Johnson has called the allegations against Gonzales &ldquo;very serious&rdquo; and has <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/live-updates\/2026\/02\/25\/congress\/speaker-watching-gonzales-primary-00797668\">maintained<\/a> that the chamber has to &ldquo;allow the due process here to play out.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;They&rsquo;re obviously very serious,&rdquo; Johnson <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4469480\/tony-gonzales-will-not-resign-alleged-staffer-affair\/\">said<\/a> earlier this week about the text messages. &ldquo;And I&rsquo;ve spoken with him and told him he&rsquo;s got to address that in the appropriate way with his constituents and all of that. So it&rsquo;s too early for anybody to prejudge any of that.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Johnson: Gonzales controversy will shape Texas primary<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3976,"featured_media":2573556,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/tony-gonzales-congress.webp?w=650","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[50410,14073,73626,4909,3694],"class_list":["post-2573555","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-controversy-2","tag-gonzales","tag-mike-johnson-2","tag-primary","tag-texas"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/tony-gonzales-congress.webp?w=650","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2573555","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3976"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2573555"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2573555\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2573559,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2573555\/revisions\/2573559"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2573556"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2573555"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2573555"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2573555"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}