FACTBOX: Recent sexual scandals in U.S. politics

(Reuters) - South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford on Wednesday admitted to having an affair and being unfaithful to his wife, and said he was resigning as chairman of the Republican Governors' Association.

Following are some other sexual scandals involving prominent U.S. politicians in the last five years:

-- June 2009: Nevada Republican Senator John Ensign admitted having an extramarital affair with a female member of his campaign staff.

-- August 2008: Former Democratic vice presidential candidate and North Carolina Senator John Edwards admitted having an affair with a former campaign worker Rielle Hunter. His wife Elizabeth has been ill with breast cancer.

-- March 2008: New York Democratic Governor Eliot Spitzer resigned after it was reported that he was a client of a prostitution ring under investigation by federal authorities.

-- August 2007: Idaho Republican Senator Larry Craig was arrested for alleged homosexual lewd behavior in a men's toilet at the Minneapolis airport. He pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct.

-- July 2007: Louisiana Republican Senator David Vitter was identified as a client of the so-called "D.C. Madam," a woman convicted of running a prostitute service.

-- September 2006: Mark Foley, a Republican member of the House of Representatives from Florida, resigned after a TV network reported he had sent sexually explicit messages to congressional pages who were minors.

-- August 2004: New Jersey Democratic Governor Jim McGreevey resigned after admitting to a homosexual liaison with his homeland security adviser.

(Writing by Alan Elsner in Washington, editing by Vicki Allen)