With the collapse of his 20-year marriage spilling into public view this week, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is fighting to keep private the most intimate details of his life.
Rumors persist about Villaraigosa and other relationships, but he and his staff have so far refused to address the buzz.
In this era of nonstop campaigning and 24-hour news cycles, experts say the voting public may be indifferent to a politician's personal foibles and marital transgressions. But pundits and even some of Villaraigosa's closest friends say they do not expect him to emerge unscathed, particularly if more damaging revelations emerge.
Some of Villaraigosa's most ardent allies voiced disappointment and anger with him Friday, saying that he has played into a stereotype about macho Latino males and that some of his public comments about his wife, Corina, have appeared disingenuous.
Others say they remain mystified by a news conference the mayor called Monday, during which he said he felt a "personal sense of failure" for the end of his marriage but balked at questions about reasons behind the split.
Villaraigosa spoke of his wife as an "exceptional human being" and a "vibrant woman," comments that some interpreted as patronizing.
The fallout from Villaraigosa's separation has eroded some of his support.
"I think it removes some of the sheen that I've had for him," said one prominent state leader who has known Villaraigosa and his wife for years but would not be quoted by name for fear of embarrassing them. "You can't fool the people with a big smile. This is the playground of men in politics."
Part of Villaraigosa's problem in the current predicament, many say, arises from past behavior.
He has two adult daughters born out of wedlock, and he publicly acknowledged being unfaithful to his wife in the 1990s. That episode led to an extended separation and alienated for a time many ardent supporters, including Los Angeles County Supervisor Gloria Molina, who declined to comment for this report.
If, as expected, Villaraigosa runs eventually for governor, he can be sure that reporters and bloggers will scrutinize him in minute detail.
"In these kinds of situations, you can always expect a certain amount of prurient interest about what actually caused the split," said Garry South, a longtime Democratic strategist who ran former Gov. Gray Davis' 1998 and 2002 campaigns. "But to someone with a high political profile like the mayor, the more telling thing is what comes afterward, in the long run."
