Political sex scandals are about as old as the institution itself, even affecting the careers of some of the country’s earliest leaders. While high-profile scandals are inevitable, what’s harder to predict is who will weather the storm with reputations—and jobs—largely intact. Here’s a look at the survivors and victims of some of the most notable sex scandals.
Date of Scandal: 2013: With Nebraska’s gubernatorial race slated for next year, Rick Sheehy, the state’s lieutenant governor, had already been endorsed by incumbent Gov. Dave Heineman and was the odds-on favorite to step into his boss’s shoes. But after a public records request by the Omaha World-Herald revealed that Sheehy had made thousands of late-night phone calls from his state-issued cell phone to four different women—one of whom admitted to having an affair—Sheehy abruptly resigned. Records show that a majority of the calls were made before July 2012, the month his wife of 28-years filed for divorce and called the union “irretrievably broken.”
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Date of Scandal: 1989: Steve Gobie met the Massachusetts Democrat when the congressman hired him as a prostitute. In 1989, two years after Frank came out, Gobie revealed that he had been living in Frank’s Capitol Hill apartment and serving as his driver while also working as an escort. Frank also used his House privileges to erase parking tickets for Gobie and wrote a questionably honest letter to get him off probation. The House Ethics Committee investigated, and there were immediate calls for Frank to resign. Where Is He Now? The committee largely cleared Frank, saying he was unaware of the prostitution in his apartment. He remained one of the most influential—and audible—members of the House Democratic delegation and continued to be elected by large margins until his retirement in 2013. The scandal seems largely forgotten except by his most dogged critics (admittedly a not-insignificant number of people).
Date of Scandal: 2009: The Nevada senator admitted he had an affair with the wife of his chief of staff (also an employee) then arranged to have his parents pay the couple $96,000. He then worked to get the husband a job in lobbying, violating a mandatory “cooling-off” period before a congressional staffer can lobby. Where Is He Now? In March 2011, Ensign announced he would not run for reelection. In April, he announced he would resign in May. It appeared he would escape prosecution until a Senate Ethics Committee report—filled with humiliating revelations—recommended the Justice Department investigate. Not a single senator attended his valedictory speech.
Date of Scandal: 2008: Spitzer, the crusading attorney general-turned-governor of New York, was named as the client of a high-price prostitution ring, which he patronized several times, spending thousands of dollars. Two days after the story emerged, Spitzer resigned in disgrace. Where Is He Now? After a short spell out of the spotlight, Spitzer began writing columns for Slate. In 2010, he was named co-host of a CNN television show with Kathleen Parker; he later pushed her out. He’s rumored to be interested in running for New York mayor, but his name remains nearly synonymous with his prostitution scandal.
Date of Scandal: 2007: Vitter, a Louisiana senator and staunch social conservative, was revealed as a client of the “D.C. Madam,” a woman who ran a major Washington prostitution ring. In a press conference, Vitter said, “This was a very serious sin in my past for which I am, of course, completely responsible.” He said he had previously confessed and apologized to his wife, and refused to resign. Where Is He Now? Although his name may elicit smirks, Vitter emerged with his political career practically unscathed. In 2010, his first election campaign since the revelation, he cruised to a 19-point victory over his Democratic challenger.
Date of Scandal: 2007: The Idaho senator was arrested at the Minneapolis airport for lewd conduct after allegedly soliciting sex from an undercover police officer stationed in a spot where men were known to cruise for sex. The senator claimed he was innocent, explaining that he hadn’t intended to tap his foot—a sign used by participants—but instead had a “wide stance” in the bathroom. Where Is He Now? Craig announced his intent to resign and pleaded guilty. Soon after, however, he attempted to withdraw both. He successfully reversed his resignation and served out his term, but his plea withdrawal was rejected, and he was convicted of disorderly conduct, a lesser charge. However, Craig did not run for reelection, and his political career is over.
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Date of Scandal: 1998: Clinton had been accused of affairs with several women, but his real undoing was a sexual relationship with White House intern Monica Lewinsky from 1995 to 1997 when he was president. After an investigation, he became the second president to be impeached, but was acquitted during his trial. Where Is He Now? Clinton has eased into his post-presidency well, running a major philanthropic organization and serving as elder statesman and diplomatic fixer although he was criticized for his behavior while campaigning for his wife Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign.
Date of Scandal: 2001: When a Washington intern named Chandra Levy disappeared and was later found dead, he became collateral damage. Though Condit was eventually cleared in Levy’s disappearance—another man, a stranger, was sentenced to 60 years in prison for her death in 2001—the married congressman had been having an affair with her, which became public and made him a prime suspect—to the public, though not police. Where Is He Now? Condit was an unwitting beneficiary of the 9/11 attacks, which knocked the Levy story out of the news. He ran for reelection, but lost a March 2002 primary. He then opened a Baskin-Robbins ice-cream store, but that, too, was ill-fated: The shop went out of business, leaving him more than $40,000 in debt.
Date of Scandal: 2006: The representative—a strong backer of child-pornography and sex-offender laws—sent sexually explicit emails and instant messages to young male congressional pages; he’d also solicited photographs from them and on several occasions visited their dormitory. House GOP leaders forced Foley to resign, but the revelation that he’d previously been warned, but not reported, nearly brought down Speaker Dennis Hastert. Where Is He Now? Since resigning, Foley has announced he is gay. He’s done several things, including hosting a radio show. He’s even flirted with running for mayor of West Palm Beach, where he lives, but declined to do so in 2011.
Date of Scandal: 1998: Even as he was blasting Clinton for the Lewinsky affair, the then-speaker of the House was conducting his own affair with Callista Bisek, a congressional staffer. Where Is He Now? While humiliating to Gingrich, it didn’t bring him down—that required a coup by GOP backbenchers upset over separate ethics issues and Gingrich’s leadership style. He stepped down in 1998 and married Bisek in 2000. Somehow, he managed to remain a serious force in politics and even made a spirited bid for the presidency in 2012.
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Date of Scandal: 2008-present: While running for president, the former senator and vice-presidential nominee started an affair with a woman who was making videos for his campaign, and also fathered a child with her—all while his wife was battling terminal cancer. Worse, he asked an aide to claim the child was his and allegedly diverted campaign donations to cover up the affair. Where Is He Now? It’s hard to weather a sex scandal well, but Edwards has done especially poorly. His wife Elizabeth died. Edwards was reportedly reduced to boozing with undergrads and was indicted for alleged campaign-finance violations. He avoided jail time in the end, but his name remains synonymous with political sex-scandals.
Date of Scandal: 1980s: What is it about Idaho? Chenoweth, a married representative, carried on an affair with a rancher during the 1980s. Later, she was a leading voice in calling for Clinton to resign over the Lewinsky affair. Admitting she had been guilty of a similar offense, she explained, "I've asked for God's forgiveness, and I've received it." Where Is He Now? Months after her admission, Chenoweth cruised to a 10-point victory over her challenger. She retired from Congress in 2001 and died in 2006. While Chenoweth bears the exceptionally rare distinction of being a female politician with a sex scandal, she largely escaped infamy.
