Mark Souder

Souder: Regular Prayers And Hymns Failed To Stop Affair

Justin Elliott | June 16, 2010, 10:30AM

Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN)

If only Mark Souder had listened to Dan Quayle, everything would have turned out better.

Souder, the Indiana Republican congressman who resigned last month after admitting to an affair with a staffer, is still giving interviews. In the latest, with the Christian WORLD magazine, Souder says that when he was first elected to Congress in 1994, Quayle called and advised him to move his family to Washington. Souder now regrets not taking the advice.

Read more »

Roy Ashburn

Former 'Family Values' CA Legislator Ashburn Comes Out In Favor Of Gay Rights (VIDEO)

Rachel Slajda | May 28, 2010, 5:58PM

State Sen. Roy Ashburn (R-CA)

Roy Ashburn, the California legislator who came out in March after years of operating as a "family values" Republican, is now speaking out in favor of gay rights.

Ashburn spoke on the state senate floor yesterday about a bill that could affect gay marriage, should it become legal in the state again.

Read more »

Mark Souder

Souder: I'm Happy That Abstinence Vid With Mistress Now Defines Me (VIDEO)

Justin Elliott | May 24, 2010, 9:02AM

Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN) and Tracy Jackson (inset)

In an interview with a local Indiana newspaper, former congressman Mark Souder said he's actually gratified that the pro-abstinence video he filmed with girlfriend and staffer Tracy Jackson is what now defines him in the national media and on late-night comedy shows.

"If some people see this abstinence video, I'm living proof of what we're saying in it. If they actually listen to the words, maybe it's worth it," Souder told the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette. The longtime family values Republican added: "You'll go crazy if you don't have some sense of irony."

Read more »

Mark Souder

Conservative Women's Group: Souder Affair Shows 'It Could Happen To Anyone'

Justin Elliott | May 19, 2010, 10:51AM

Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN) and Concerned Women for America CEO Penny Nance

Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN) conducted a years-long extramarital affair with a staffer while preaching traditional family values, sponsoring a "Marriage Protection Amendment" to the Constitution, and even filming a pro-abstinence video with his girlfriend.

But it turns out Souder had no agency in the matter after all, according to the president of a leading conservative women's group.

Read more »

Mark Souder

Rep. Souder And Mistress Recorded Video Praising Abstinence (WATCH)

Justin Elliott | May 18, 2010, 10:37AM

Tracy Jackson

Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN) had an affair with a part-time staffer named Tracy Jackson, Fox is reporting. Jackson played the role of interviewer for a Souder Web video show on the issues of the day -- including one on the value of abstinence.

Dubbed "Congressional Update with Congressman Mark Souder," the show hit on issues like intelligent design and fencing the border.

Read more »

Mark Souder

Family Values GOP Rep To Resign Over Affair (VIDEO)

Justin Elliott | May 18, 2010, 9:23AM

Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN)

Rep. Mark Souder (R-IN), a champion of abstinence education and traditional family values, will resign effective Friday after an affair with a female staffer in his district office, he announced today.

He said in a statement that he "sinned against God, my wife and my family by having a mutual relationship with a part-time member of my staff." And he blamed the atmosphere in Washington for forcing him to make the move:

"In the poisonous environment of Washington, D.C., any personal failing is seized upon, often twisted, for political gain. I am resigning rather than to put my family through that painful, drawn-out process."

Read more »

Roy Ashburn

FLASHBACK: CA Sen. Spotted At Gay Clubs Fought Gay Marriage For 'The Future Of Our Children'

Justin Elliott | March 5, 2010, 10:57AM

CA Sen. Roy Ashburn (R-Bakersfield)

"We need to preserve traditional values for the future of our children. Children must be raised with morals and principles. As a society, we must provide them with a secured and loving environment that allows them to flourish."

Those are the words of California state Senator Roy Ashburn, a father of four, quoted in a 2005 press release announcing a rally to support "traditional marriage."

Read more »