On March 10, 2008, The New York Times reported that New York Governor Eliot Spitzerhad patronized an elite escort service run by Emperors Club VIP. The ensuing scandal led to Spitzer's resignation as Governor on March 17.

 

"Kristen", 22, was an aspiring pop recording artist living in Manhattan whose real name is Ashley Dupré. She was just one of the escorts that Spitzer liaised with, but she gained significant media attention following the scandal. After the news broke, she responded that she didn't "want to be thought of as a monster," and that it had been a "difficult" and "complicated" time for her. On March 15, the New York Post published an extensive photo shoot showing Dupré in provocative poses. By late October 2008, Dupré's profile on MySpace.com had received nearly 12 million page views. As a result of the media attention following the scandal, Dupré was reportedly offered $1 million by Hustler to pose nude for the magazine, and received unofficial offers from Penthouse, among others. She eventually agreed to pose for Playboy in the May 2010 issue. 

 

Spitzer announced on March 12, 2008 that he would resign his post as Governor effective noon on March 17 amid threats of his impeachment by state lawmakers. Lt. Gov. David Paterson succeeded him on March 17, 2008. By resigning, Spitzer lost his status as a superdelegate in the 2008 Democratic nomination for President, depriving Hillary Clinton, whom he supported, of a superdelegate vote. This also reduced the total number of superdelegate votes available. Spitzer discussed his status as a superdelegate on The Colbert Report on February 12, 2008, the day before Spitzer met his escort at the Mayflower Hotel. 

 

Kristin M. Davis, a competing madam who was involved in the scandal, served four months of jail time on Rikers Island as a result of the scandal, and later announced a run for Spitzer's old seat in the New York gubernatorial election, 2010. Davis finished in last place among those on the ballot.