Rep. Tony Gonzales says he will retire from Congress amid ethics scrutiny

Tony Gonzales is leaving Congress, and his exit puts one of Texas’ most closely watched border seats back in play at a moment when House Republicans are already wrestling with a fragile map and a wave of departures. Gonzales said Monday that he would file his retirement when the House returned Tuesday, after already saying in March that he would not seek reelection.

The 23rd Congressional District stretches more than 800 miles along the southern border, making it a high-stakes test of Republican strength in a seat where border politics, local allegiance and candidate quality can all matter more than national branding. Gonzales has represented the district since January 3, 2021 and is serving his third term. He sits on the House Appropriations Committee and the House Homeland Security Committee, and he chairs the Congressional Hispanic Conference, giving his departure added weight inside a party that has leaned on border messaging and Hispanic outreach to compete in Texas.

His retirement also lands amid escalating ethics scrutiny. The House Ethics Committee opened an investigation in March after the nonpartisan Office of Congressional Conduct found “a substantial reason to believe” Gonzales had a sexual relationship with a subordinate, an apparent violation of House rules. Gonzales has denied wrongdoing and described the relationship as a “mistake” and a “lapse in judgment.” Democrats have also moved toward an expulsion resolution, raising the pressure on a lawmaker whose future had already been in doubt.

For House Republicans, the immediate problem is not only Gonzales’s exit but who can hold the seat next. House Republican leadership had already urged him not to seek reelection, a sign that party strategists were eager to avoid a prolonged intraparty struggle in a district that could shape the larger House map. The question now is whether Republicans can settle on a nominee who can survive both a primary and a general election in a border district that has become a proving ground for the party’s next generation of candidates.

Gonzales’s departure comes as the broader House begins to churn. The Associated Press reported that 58 House members had announced by April 13 that they would not seek reelection, with more than one in 8 incumbents planning to leave, the highest share at this point in the cycle since at least the Obama administration. Gonzales, a Navy veteran with 20 years of service who rose to Master Chief Petty Officer, is married and has six children. His exit closes one chapter in Texas politics but opens another, with both parties now eyeing a district that could help decide how the next House map takes shape.