U.S. Representative Tony Gonzales, a Texas Republican, will not seek re-election, he said on Thursday, following calls from top House Republicans to drop his bid due to allegations that he had an affair with a former staff member who later died by suicide.
“After deep reflection and with the support of my loving family, I have decided not to seek re-election while serving out the rest of this Congress with the same commitment I’ve always had to my district,” Gonzales said in a post on X.
A congressional ethics panel had on Wednesday announced it would investigate the allegations against Gonzales.
“Leadership has asked Congressman Gonzales to withdraw from his race for re-election,” said House Speaker Mike Johnson and three members of his leadership team, in a joint statement.
Gonzales had agreed to cooperate fully with the House Ethics Committee probe into what they described as “very serious allegations,” said the group statement, co-signed by Majority Leader Steve Scalise, No. 3 Republican Tom Emmer and House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain.
