A list of politicians caught in extramarital affairs in recent years:
Tennessee Sen. Paul Stanley, R-Memphis: Stanley resigned in August after an extortion plot exposed his illicit relationship with intern McKensie Morrison, 22. Stanley, 47, is a married father of two who taught Sunday school.
New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, Democrat: He resigned last year after federal law enforcement officials disclosed that a wiretap had caught the father of three teenage daughters spending thousands of dollars on a call girl at a fancy Washington hotel.
U.S. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev.: Ensign resigned as head of the Republican Policy Committee one day after acknowledging an affair with aide Cindy Hampton between December 2007 and August 2008. Hampton was married to Ensign's administrative assistant, Doug Hampton.
South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, Republican: He confessed in a tearful, rambling news conference in June that he cheated on his wife with a woman in Argentina after returning from a secret visit there. He called María Belén Chapur his soul mate. Sanford says he intends to stay in office despite calls for his resignation.
Former Sen. John Edwards, D-N.C.: The two-time presidential candidate acknowledged an affair with Rielle Hunter in 2008, months after dropping his presidential bid. His political action committee paid more than $100,000 for video production to Hunter's firm. Edwards insists he is not the father of Hunter's baby.
San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom, Democrat: Early in 2007, Newsom confessed to having an affair with the wife of his deputy chief of staff. A week later, Newsom admitted a drinking problem and sought treatment, while maintaining his duties as mayor. He now is running for governor of California.
L.A. Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Democrat: He acknowledged in 2007 that he had a fling with Mirthala Salinas, an anchor at NBC-Telemundo. Salinas covered the mayor's office and reported on Villaraigosa's breakup with his wife, Corina, without disclosing her own role in the saga.
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