EMILY KWONG, HOST:
Republican Congressman Tony Gonzales is facing political fallout after allegations of an affair with a former staffer who died by suicide. Texas Public Radio's David Martin Davies reports.
DAVID MARTIN DAVIES, BYLINE: At the Uvalde Civic Center, early voting in the Texas political primaries is underway. Outside in the parking lot in the town about 70 miles west of San Antonio, there are about two dozen campaign workers making last-minute pitches for their local candidates. Ricky Gimmler (ph) exits the Civic Center after voting, and he tells me what's happening in the Republican primary for the 23rd Congressional District is a bad deal.
RICKY GIMMLER: I was in favor of Tony since the beginning of his election years ago. But after the situation here in Uvalde with the young lady, I can't support him.
DAVIES: Gimmler is talking about Republican Congressman Tony Gonzales, who is seeking reelection, and the young woman he's referring to was a Gonzales staffer, Regina Santos-Aviles. Santos-Aviles took her life in September. The San Antonio Express News first published allegations that Gonzales had an affair with his former staffer. The Express News had explicit text messages, which NPR has not independently verified, that appeared to show Gonzales pressuring Santos-Aviles for sex. Gonzales denies the affair and calls the scandal a political attack.
DIANA OVIEDO CARU: Well, I'm glad that it's finally come out.
DAVIES: That's Uvalde resident Diana Oviedo Caru (ph). She says Santos-Aviles was well known in Uvalde. The news of her death shook the tight-knit community, a town still carrying the trauma from the 2022 Robb Elementary School shooting. Caru says the allegations of an affair have been a topic of conversation ahead of the election.
CARU: People just seem to think it's not a big deal. I mean, they don't look at the larger picture.
DAVIES: The larger picture includes the question of who will represent Uvalde and the congressional district, which stretches from San Antonio to El Paso, encompassing 800 miles of the U.S.-Mexico border. Gonzales is facing a strong primary challenger, Brandon Herrera. He is a YouTube pro-gun influencer who, two years ago, nearly beat Gonzales in a runoff. This campaign, he's making an issue of Gonzales' scandal.
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BRANDON HERRERA: It is now irrefutable that Tony Gonzales is a wicked man and must be removed.
DAVIES: Herrera, in a YouTube video, called for Gonzales to resign from office.
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HERRERA: This is your last chance to be a man and take some accountability.
DAVIES: Speaking to CNN on Capitol Hill, Gonzales said all the facts have not come out.
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TONY GONZALES: I'm not going to resign. I work every day for the people of Texas.
DAVIES: Jon Taylor, a political science professor at the University of Texas at San Antonio, said Gonzales is damaged by the scandal.
JON TAYLOR: This is a case of - do I resign now, or do I let the voters decide to basically boot me out of office?
DAVIES: Taylor said no matter what happens now, the 23rd Congressional District could be an opportunity for Democrats. If Gonzales manages to still win the primary, then general election voters may reject him. And if Herrera wins the primary, Taylor said he might be too extreme for the district.
TAYLOR: There are a lot of questions and concerns about his almost hyperfocus on gun rights and gun legislation to the detriment, potentially, of everything else.
DAVIES: Juanita Martinez, the Democratic Party chair for Maverick County, says the scandal is horrible, but it could result in a loss for the Republican Party.
JUANITA MARTINEZ: To be honest, because of Tony being moderate sometimes, I think we stand a better chance of winning if Brandon is the nominee.
DAVIES: But it's also not clear which Democrat will be running in the general election. That's also a question for voters to decide on primary day, March 3. For NPR News, I'm David Martin Davies in Uvalde.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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