You could look at Don Sherwood's failed 2006 reelection campaign a couple of ways. With endorsements from then-Senator Rick Santorum and President George W. Bush, his loss could be seen as a referendum on the Republican party, which suffered heavy losses in the 2006 elections.
 

Don Sherwood

Or you could see Sherwood's loss in Pennsylvania as a direct result of his mistress locking herself in his bathroom and calling 911 to report that he had knocked her around the room and choked her.

In September, 2004, police arrived at Sherwood's DC apartment, where Cynthia Ore was hiding from the ill-tempered representative in the commode. But things didn't get very far. No charges were filed because Ore and Sherwood both refused to give any details. Sherwood apologized publicly for the affair and says he never abused Ore, despite the police report and Ore's $5.5 million lawsuit alleging a history of abuse.
 

Cynthia Ore

The case was settled out of court when Sherwood paid his former lover $500,000 with strings attached. Not only did Ore have to forfeit a chunk of the money if she ever spoke publicly about the case, but she only got half before the upcoming election and half after the election. It's like a legal bribe to keep Ore's mouth shut while Sherwood worked on his campaign.

Sherwood's character was attacked by Democratic challenger Chris Carney, who went on to win by a margin of 53% to 47%.

The details of Sherwood's legal and personal problems became fodder for Internet parody. This poster could be found on the ever-snarky Wonkette.com in 2006.