According to media reports, the former aide died by self-immolation in September 2025 in what authorities ruled a suicide.
In the days leading up to her death, text messages allegedly sent from her phone surfaced in which she claimed she had been involved in an affair with Gonzales while working in his office.
Those messages were later obtained and reported by news outlets, fueling controversy across Texas political circles.
Gonzales has denied any improper relationship and has not been accused of involvement in her death.
For many conservative activists, this controversy is not occurring in isolation.
They argue it adds to long-standing concerns about Gonzales’ judgment, leadership, and reliability on core conservative issues — especially the Second Amendment.
Resignation Calls Grow Louder
Texas Gun Rights was among the first organizations to call for Gonzales to step aside, stating bluntly that he “must resign.”
Kyle Rittenhouse also publicly weighed in, aligning himself with activists demanding accountability and urging support for Gonzales’ primary challenger, Brandon Herrera.
For grassroots conservatives, the issue is not just personal conduct, it is trust.
The Freedom Caucus Fund Moves Backs Brandon Herrera
For weeks, activists pressed the Freedom Caucus Fund to endorse Herrera in Texas’ 23rd Congressional District race.
Texas Gun Rights and Kyle Rittenhouse both publicly called on the group to get behind Herrera before it was too late.
Eventually, they did.
The Freedom Caucus Fund formally endorsed Brandon Herrera, signaling that key segments of the conservative movement are ready to move on from Gonzales and back a candidate viewed as unapologetically pro-Second Amendment.
Why Gun Rights Groups Oppose Gonzales
While headlines now focus on the controversy, gun rights organizations opposed Gonzales long before any personal allegations surfaced.
Their primary grievance remains his vote for the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, the most significant federal gun control bill passed in decades.
That legislation:
- Expanded federal involvement in red-flag style programs
- Expanded the Universal gun registry known as NICS
- Exacerbated the ATF’s war on gun owners with the “engaged in the business” rule
Activists argue the law empowered federal regulators to increase scrutiny of lawful gun owners and dealers.
For no-compromise Second Amendment organizations, that vote alone was disqualifying.
The current political storm, they say, only reinforces what they have argued for years — that Gonzales represents establishment compromise, not constitutional conviction.
A District at a Crossroads
With the primary approaching, TX-23 has become ground zero for a broader debate inside the Republican Party: Can lawmakers who support federal gun control survive in conservative districts?
The establishment is circling the wagons.
The grassroots is mobilizing.
And gun rights activists are making clear that accountability is no longer optional.
Chip in to Texas Gun Rights to hold anti-gun politicians accountable.
