• What Happened: Messages have surfaced showing Texas Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales pressuring a female staffer for explicit photos and asking about her "favorite position," before she later died by suicide.
  • Why It Matters: Republican members of Congress are now calling for Gonzales to resign following the release of the messages.
  • Bottom Line: Gonzales represents Texas' 23rd congressional district, where he now faces significant political pressure from within his own party.

Republican Congressman Tony Gonzales of Texas is facing calls to resign from within his own party - and for good reason. Deeply disturbing messages surfaced showing him pressuring a female staffer for explicit photographs and asking about her "favorite position."

The staffer reportedly told Gonzales twice that he was going too far. He kept pushing anyway. She later died by suicide.

The messages have sent shockwaves through the Republican caucus, with multiple GOP members now publicly calling for Gonzales to step down from his seat representing Texas' 23rd congressional district. When members of your own party are calling for your resignation, the writing is on the wall.

This is not a policy disagreement. This is not a political hit job from the other side. These are messages in black and white showing a sitting United States congressman using his position of power to pressure a female employee for sexual content, ignoring her repeated objections, and continuing anyway.

The woman is gone. She told him to stop. He did not stop.

There is no defending this. There is no spin that makes these messages acceptable. The voters of Texas' 23rd district sent Tony Gonzales to Washington to represent their values and fight for their families. What these messages describe is a betrayal of every person who cast a ballot for him.

Republicans have spent years drawing a clear contrast with Democrats on issues of character and accountability. Moments like this demand that the contrast be real and not just rhetorical.

The people of Texas' 23rd district deserve a representative they can be proud of. Right now, they do not have one.