GOP rep to resign over affair

Associated Press

INDIANAPOLIS

Indiana Rep. Mark Souder — an evangelical Christian who promoted abstinence education and was known for his outspoken views on religion — said Tuesday he will resign from Congress because of an extramarital affair with a part-time staff member.

The announcement by the eight-term Republican rocked party leaders, who had counted on keeping the Republican-leaning district in a year that many expect will favor the GOP nationally come November.

Souder’s staff contacted the staff of House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, on Sunday to alert them to the situation. Boehner spoke on the phone with Souder on Monday.

Boehner spokesman Michael Steel said the minority leader “has been perfectly clear that he will hold our members to the highest ethical standards.”

Rumors of Souder’s infidelity had circulated in the northeastern Indiana district for months.

But Souder’s announcement that he would resign effective Friday and the confession of the affair stunned many voters who had backed his support for family values and traditional marriage.

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