Q&A: Is there no shame left in politics?

March 18, 2026
Politicians being interviewed by the media.

Politicians behaving poorly is something Americans have come to expect, but a UVA Center for Politics expert says voters often determine when enough is too much. (Illustration by John DiJulio, University Communications)

From graft to adultery, American politics seems rife with scandal, but there seem to be fewer consequences for disreputable behavior.

Part of that could be that the American public expects politicians to behave poorly. Polls paint a portrait of distrust; a nonpartisan Pew Research Center study found 17% of Americans say they trust elected federal politicians to “do what is right.” A Gallup survey shows nearly 75% of Americans disapprove of how Congress is doing its job.

Accusations surrounding President Donald J. Trump’s links to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein continue to swirl, even as political figures with ties to Epstein in Europe and Scandinavia – including Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, the ex-British royal formerly known as Prince Andrew – have lost their positions.

Portrait of Kyle Kondik.

Kyle Kondik is managing editor of the “Sabato’s Crystal Ball,” a comprehensive, nonpartisan political analysis newsletter of the University of Virginia Center for Politics. (Contributed photo)

U.S. Rep. Tony Gonzales, a Texas Republican, long denied reports of his affair with a married staff member, who took her own life in 2025 by self-immolation. After text messages were revealed, he admitted the affair. He dropped out of a runoff election after placing second in the party primary earlier this month.

Also in Texas, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a conservative Democrat, was charged in 2022 with receiving bribes from Azerbaijani and Mexican interests, but Trump pardoned him in 2025 before a trial could begin. He continues to serve in Congress.

In 2025, numerous news agencies reported that 28 members of Congress failed to properly report stock trades in compliance with the 2012 STOCK Act, which requires lawmakers to report trades within 45 days.

UVA Today asked Kyle Kondik, managing editor of the University of Virginia Center for Politics’ “Sabato’s Crystal Ball” newsletter, whether Americans’ ideas of acceptable behavior in their elected leaders have changed.

Q. Why does it seem there is less political fallout from scandalous behavior?

A. Shamelessness is one of the defining characteristics of this political era. Trump himself is a great example of that. You could argue that Bill Clinton is a good example of that, too. Granted, Clinton’s presidency is now a quarter-century ago.

I think there are more liberalized attitudes about adultery and personal conduct. So that’s probably part of it.

Q. Have Americans become accustomed to bad behavior by their elected officials?

A. In some ways, I think that the public is so jaded that things that might have been shocking a generation ago just aren’t as shocking now. We’re in a pretty cynical period, with low trust in institutions. Some of this stuff doesn’t capture the imagination because it’s sort of expected and not as surprising.

One example of recent vintage is former Democratic Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam. He probably would have ended up resigning had the same blackface scandal story come out in 2009 as opposed to 2019, when he was governor.

I think he decided that there wasn’t any upside to resigning and that he could ride it out, and he did. And whether one thought he should have resigned or not, I think it’s hard to argue that he made the wrong choice, as I think he has remained more relevant in Virginia politics by riding out the scandal than by resigning.

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Q. Is there anything left that can shame a politician into leaving office or dropping out of an election?

A. There are still scandals that draw blood and force people out. One thing that matters – and I don’t know if there’s a hard-and-fast rule – is whether there’s video or something you can put on a TV screen. That can have a more damaging effect.

In the case of Tony Gonzales, the story about potentially having an affair was out there for months, but it picked up steam near the time of the primary, in part because text messages emerged.

It’s not like no one is felled by scandals. Look at Gonzales. He was initially defiant about staying in and gave an interview in which he said, “I’ve asked God to forgive me, which he has.” He later dropped out rather than be in a runoff.

But again, the Gonzales thing wasn’t just an affair. There were explicit text messages, and then also the fact that she took her own life. It wasn’t just your run-of-the-mill adultery story.

Media Contacts

Bryan McKenzie

Assistant Editor, UVA Today Office of University Communications

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