Politics and Sex

In 1982, musician Don Henley had a number one hit called Dirty Laundry. In his song he focused on the fact that news reports were callous, centered on sensationalism, and negativity. In fact, in the past few years, many might agree that headline news stories have taken on more of a tabloid-like characteristic. Nonetheless, one group of individuals that certainly garners our attention is politicians. Politicians are those who influence public policy and decision making. Politicians are generally in the forefront of the public eye and therefore obtain a more watchful eye and thus more scrutiny. Politicians are not without their own personal flaws, however. In fact, they are just like other normal people in this respect. On the other hand, when a politician goes out of order with his or her personal behavior, sooner or later we tend to find out about the mishap. The following list chronicles some of the more memorable political sex scandals that I recall. I have also included information about books where more information can be found regarding some of these political characters.

Kwame Kilpatrick
This Mayor of Detroit seemed to have a very promising career ahead of him. He was the youngest mayor elected in the history of Detroit and appeared to be a rising star in the Democratic Party. However, Mr. Kilpatrick's time as mayor was plagued by accusations of infidelity and corruption. Kilpatrick ended up having an affair with Christine Beatty, a former high school classmate who was his legislative aide. Over 14,000 steamy text messages were discovered between the two on their publicly issued cell phones. Also, Kwame Kilpatrick had a very wild party at his mayoral residence involving strippers. It was said that his wife came home early and had a fight with one of the strippers. To find out more about this political individual, read Frederic P. Miller's book, Kwame Kilpatrick. Kilpatrick is the only mayor to be charged with a felony while in office and he eventually resigned in 2008.

Eliot Spitzer
Eliot Spitzer was the Governor of New York. However, he became involved in a huge scandal while in office. Eliot was involved with a prostitution ring called the Emperor's Club VIP. It was discovered that Spitzer had been sexually involved with 22 year old Ashley Dupre while traveling to Washington, D.C. Likewise, he was also reported to have been involved with seven or eight other prostitutes from the Emperor's Club VIP agency. Spitzer resigned his position as Governor of New York. For more information, check out Eliot Spitzer and the Prostitution Ring- The F.B.I. Files.

Clarence Thomas
During his 1991 confirmation for Supreme Court, Justice Clarence Thomas was said to have sexually harassed Anita Hill. Hill had worked for him in earlier positions at the Department of Education and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. During the confirmation hearings it was alleged that Thomas had made comments of a sexual nature and pressured females for dates. For more details, read the book Speaking the Truth by Anita Hill.

John Edwards
Senator John Edwards ran for President in 2004 and 2008. However, he was not immune to political sexual scandal. Edwards admitted to being in an adulterous affair with Rielle Hunter. Rielle has claimed that Edward's is the father of her child, but Edwards continues to deny this. For more about John Edwards, review the book John Edwards: The People's Senator by Jaytoe A. Tukan.

Mark Sanford
Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina disappeared during the summer of 2009. He told his staffers and others that he was going to be hiking along the Appalachian Trail. However, it was later discovered that Sanford had actually been on a trip to Argentina where he had been visiting his mistress. Sanford came clean and admitted that he had been having an affair. Several people in the State of South Carolina have called for his resignation. A good read on Mark Sanford would be The Trust Committed to Me by Mark Sanford.

Strom Thurmond
Senator Strom Thurmond was known for his strong traditional southern views. Some even characterized him as racist. Nevertheless, it came to light before he died that he had been sexually involved with a young black woman and fathered a daughter with her. Ol' Strom by Jack Bass and Marilyn Thompson shares a view a Strom Thurmond's life and actions.

Gary Hart
Senator Gary Hart seemed to be a very promising contender for president of the United States. However, photos surfaced that showed him hanging out on a yacht called, "Monkey Business." While on the yacht, Hart was discovered to be associating with Donna Rice and many rumors surfaced. Hart, of course, did not continue his bid for the presidency. Julian J. Rothbaum writes about Senators on the Campaign Trail and references Gary Hart in the book.

Jack Ryan
Jack Ryan was an Illinois state senator and certainly had higher political aspirations. He was married to Jeri Ryan who is most famous for her acting role on Star Trek: Voyager. They later divorced. When Jack Ryan was running for the national senate in 2004 divorce records were released that showed that Jack had asked his wife to publicly perform sexual acts at sex clubs in New York, Paris, and New Orleans. Jeri noted that one club was so bizarre that it had cages, whips, and other things hanging from the club's ceiling. Jack Ryan withdrew his candidacy for a senate seat to represent the state of Illinois.

Bill Clinton
Who by now does not recall the lengthy drawn out investigations, hearings, talk, and case of President Clinton and Monica Lewinsky? This, by far, tops all sexual political scandals in my book. In fact, the sexual exploits between Bill and Monica lead to impeachment, huge national distractions, and tons of jokes about the two along the way. Many books have been written about Bill Clinton, but you may want to check out Because He Could by Dick Morris.

Mike Duvall
While a book has yet to be written concerning this California senator, his exploits have definitely placed him on this list for political sexual scandal. In September of 2009, the California legislator was speaking to another assembly member during a break about some personal sexual feats. Unfortunately, the microphone was on. Duvall bragged about having two different mistresses, the type of undergarments one lady wore, and the differences in age between the mistress and him. Duvall also referenced spanking one of the young ladies and told how much she liked it. Duvall shortly resigned from the California legislature after his conversation went public. Duvall was the vice chairman of the California Assembly's Utilities Committee.