Gary Condit

Political Figure

A member of the U.S. Congress since 1989, Condit gained notoriety after the disappearance of Chandra Levy. Levy, a former Bureau of Prisons intern, vanished in May of 2001; Condit, married and the father of two grown children, first called Levy a "good friend" but rumors quickly surfaced that he had been romantically involved with her. Police said that Condit was not a suspect in Levy's disappearance, but his involvement earned national headlines and comparisons to the the case of Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. Condit was formerly a city councilman (1972-74) and mayor (1974-76) of the city of Ceres, California; from 1983-89 he was a California state assemblyman. He was elected to represent California's 18th Congressional district in a special election in 1989. In 1995 he helped found the so-called "Blue Dog Democrats," a voting coalition of conservative and moderate congressmen. Despite the Levy scandal, Condit ran for Congress again in 2002; he was defeated in the Democratic primary by Dennis Cardoza, a former member of Condit's own staff.

Extra credit: Levy's body was found in a Washington, D. C. park in May of 2002, just over a year after she was reported missing... According to a July 2008 story in The Washington Post, "Condit continues to deny that he had romantic relationships with any of the women interviewed by investigators. He also has denied that he ever had a romantic relationship with Chandra."

Levy and Condit are included in our loop on famous Disappearing Acts.

Blog posts mentioning Gary Condit:
Did This Man Kill Chandra Levy? The Post Looks Again at Chandra Levy Students Examine Chandra Levy Case