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 later told police 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.

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

Blog posts mentioning Gary Condit:
Students Examine Chandra Levy Case