AXIOS (Madalyn Mendoza) - Tony Gonzales drops re-election bid after pressure from GOP leadership to quit race
Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) will not seek reelection, he announced late Thursday. Why it matters: His announcement came hours after Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and his House GOP leadership team called on Gonzales to drop out of his race after the Texas Republican admitted to having an affair with a former staffer. - The House Ethics Committee formally launched an investigation into Gonzales the morning after his March 3 primary election, which saw him headed to a runoff election. State of play: Gonzales' departure turns the 23rd District, which stretches from San Antonio to El Paso, into an open-seat battleground overnight without the advantage of a Republican incumbency. - He was facing Brandon Herrera in the primary runoff.…