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WASHINGTON — <\/span>WASHINGTON (AP) \u2014 Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales<\/a> of Texas said late Thursday he was withdrawing from his reelection race, after having admitted an affair with a former staff member who later died by suicide, but he vowed to finish out his term in Congress.<\/p>\n He had faced calls from GOP leadership to end his reelection bid, and from others in Congress to resign.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter deep reflection and with the support of my loving family, I have decided not to seek re-election,\u201d Gonzales said in a statement posted late Thursday to X.<\/p>\n The move is the latest in a quickly changing situation that stunned Capitol Hill and resulted in a House Ethics Committee investigation into his conduct. Gonzales’ decision to bow out of the race appears to clear the field. On Tuesday, he had been forced into a May runoff<\/a> against Brandon Herrera, a gun manufacturer and YouTube gun-rights influencer who narrowly lost to him in the 2024 primary. <\/p>\n House Speaker Mike Johnson and the GOP leadership earlier Thursday had called on Gonzales to withdraw from reelection after Gonzales, a day earlier, acknowledged a relationship that has upturned the political world in his home state and in Washington. <\/p>\n \u201cWe have encouraged him to address these very serious allegations directly with his constituents and his colleagues,\u201d said Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Whip Tom Emmer, and GOP Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain in a statement.<\/p>\n \u201cIn the meantime, Leadership has asked Congressman Gonzales to withdraw from his race for reelection.\u201d<\/p>\n Johnson, R-La., has been under enormous pressure from his own GOP lawmakers to take action, and several Republicans have already called for Gonzales to step aside. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., has introduced two resolutions to punish Gonzales. The first seeks to remove him from his assignments on the House Appropriations and Homeland Security committees, while the second seeks to censure him.<\/p>\n House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, meanwhile, said he would support expelling Gonzales from the House, a rare step that requires a two-thirds vote from the chamber.<\/p>\n GOP leaders notably did not call for Gonzales to resign from office as they struggle to maintain their slim majority in the House, which they hold by only a handful of seats. <\/p>\n Their move came after Gonzales,<\/a> appearing on the \u201cJoe Pags Show,\u201d was asked whether he had a relationship with the aide, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles.<\/p>\n Santos-Aviles, 35, died after setting herself on fire in the backyard of her home in Uvalde, Texas. The Bexar County Medical Examiner\u2019s Office later ruled her death a suicide.<\/p>\n \u201cI made a mistake and I had a lapse in judgment, and there was a lack of faith, and I take full responsibility for those actions,\u201d Gonzales said.<\/p>\n