49% of Texas Rep Tony Gonzales' constituents less likely to support him after alleged affair, woman's self-immolation: Trafalgar poll

A new poll has found that nearly half of Republican voters say they are less likely to support Texas Rep Tony Gonzales after learning about an alleged affair he had with a staffer who died after setting herself on fire.

The Trafalgar poll, obtained by the Daily Caller, asked voters in Texas’ 23rd District if they were aware of reports that "Gonzales, who is married, was having an affair with one of his congressional employees, Regina Santos-Aviles, and that employee recently committed suicide by setting herself on fire." 

Of the 503 Republican primary voters in the district polled, 46 percent said that they had been unaware of the reports. In late October, it was Gonzales was accused of having an affair with 35-year-old Regina Santos-Aviles. Officials said she doused herself in gasoline outside her Uvalde, Texas home on September 13 and set herself on fire and later succumbed to her injuries. Santos-Aviles had worked for Gonzales since 2021 as a regional district director. 

In a follow-up question, voters were asked if they were aware Gonzales is "subject to an investigation by the House Ethics committee for violating rules for having an affair with an employee?" Under House rules, members of Congress are prohibited from engaging in sexual relationships with staff members. It is unclear whether the House Ethics Committee has opened an investigation. 

The voters were then asked how the revelations affected their support for Gonzales. Nearly half, 49 percent, said they were "less likely" or "much less likely" to vote for Gonzales in the primary after learning of the allegations and possible ethics probe. The poll was conducted between October 26 and 29.

A separate poll from Trafalgar published on Sunday found that 40.4 percent of District 23 voters support Gonzales, while 35.2 percent support Brandon Herrera. An additional 24.4 percent were undecided. That poll was conducted between October 31 and November 1.