Who are some American politicians who have been caught in sex scandals? Psychology in the Public Sphere Read more from Chapter Group Dynamics and the Public Sphere

The list of politicians caught in sex scandals is remarkably long and thoroughly bipartisan in nature. While many other countries expect extra-marital dalliances from their politicians, American political culture is still highly punitive of politicians whose behavior strays from monogamous family values, despite the frequency of such behavior among politicians. Gary Hart was a Democratic candidate for the 1988 presidential primary when a sex scandal caught up with him. Elliott Spitzer was the Democratic Governor of New York, brought down by a sex scandal in 2008. Republican John Tower was denied senate confirmation for a cabinet post in 1989 after revelation of an extra-marital affair. Mark Foley, a Republican congressman from Florida, resigned in 2006 after the exposure of inappropriate contact with adolescent congressional pages.