Several lawmakers and senators from both the Democratic and Republican parties have either admitted or have been caught having extramarital affairs. Such incidents end up revealing hypocrisy among those promoting family values.
GOP Reps and Senators have faced several high-profile scandals in the last few decades that have harmed careers and public trust. Here are five notable GOP figures who were involved in extramarital affairs.
Newt Gingrich
Newt Gingrich had accepted in the past that he had an affair with a staffer in the 1990s when he was advocating for the impeachment of Former President Bill Clinton in the wake of the former president’s relationship with one of his staffers, Monica Lewinsky.
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During an interview with CNN, his ex-wife, Marianne Gingrich, revealed that her husband gave her a choice of an open marriage or a divorce while revealing he was having an affair with the woman he later married.
Mark Sanford
Former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, who is looking for a congressional comeback, also makes the list. He disappeared for about a week back in June 2009, only to reappear and reveal that he had been in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with a woman with whom he was having an extramarital affair.
Interestingly, his wife, Jenny Sanford, was aware of the relationship since January 2009, and it was revealed later that two weeks into June 24, 2009, Sanford and his wife had started a trial separation. The woman, with whom he had an affair, was later identified as Argentine journalist Maria Belén Chapur.
Kristi Noem
Former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has faced persistent rumors of an extramarital affair with her longtime political adviser Corey Lewandowski, but both have strongly denied it.
However, the rumors have followed them for years and played a significant role in her political challenges in 2026.
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A Daily Mail report recently claimed that Kristi’s husband, Bryon Noem, allegedly has also stated his wife was engaged in an extramarital relationship with her adviser.
Tim Murphy
Pennsylvania Rep. Tim Murphy resigned in 2017 following reports of an extramarital affair with a family friend and psychologist, Shannon Edwards. Several reports mentioned text messages that revealed the Republican rep allegedly urged Edwards to terminate a pregnancy when she said she may be pregnant.
Murphy later admitted to having an affair and stepped down from Congress, highlighting perceived double standards on reproductive issues.
Tony Gonzales
Tony Gonzales is the latest entrant in the list as the Texas Republican representative admitted in early 2026 to an extramarital affair with a married staffer, Regina Santos-Aviles, who later died by suicide.
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He initially denied the affair before calling it a “lapse in judgment”, but the incident led to a House Ethics investigation, and Gonzales had to end his reelection bid.
