Overview
- Newly published messages provided by the aide’s widower and extracted by a digital forensics firm show Gonzales requesting explicit photos and sexual details, with Regina Santos-Aviles twice telling him he was going “too far,” according to multiple outlets.
- Gonzales denies an affair, accuses the family of trying to blackmail him, and says he will stay in the race, while the widower and his attorney reject the blackmail claim and defend releasing the texts.
- Republican Representatives Lauren Boebert, Nancy Mace, Anna Paulina Luna, Thomas Massie and Brandon Gill have urged Gonzales to resign or exit the race, as Speaker Mike Johnson calls the allegations serious and plans to meet with Gonzales.
- Reporting indicates the Office of Congressional Conduct has completed its review but cannot transmit findings to the House Ethics Committee until after the primary under election blackout rules.
- Polling shows Gonzales trailing primary challenger Brandon Herrera as early voting proceeds, with the House Freedom Caucus campaign arm backing Herrera and Trump’s endorsement of Gonzales still in place.