Mysteriously disappearing for six days, South Carolina Republican Governor Mark Sanford returned today—and admitted to having an extramarital affair with a woman from Argentina. News attention came after his wife, Jenny Sanford, admitted to the Associated Press that she didn’t know where her husband was over Father’s Day weekend. In a news conference upon his return, Sanford admits that he was unfaithful, and that this relationship developed from a friendship over email into something “much more” starting about a year ago. “I hurt a lot of different folks,” Sanford stated, apologizing to his wife and four sons.

Sanford, 49, was first elected as Governor in 2002. A former real estate developer and three-term congressman, Sanford earned a bachelor’s degree in business from Furman University in 1983 and a master’s of business administration from the University of Virginia in 1988. He’s recently been fighting (unsuccessfully) to turn aside federal stimulus cash for his state’s schools and has been very vocal against the Obama administration. Until recently, he was considered a rising star for Republicans and a rumored potential 2012 presidential candidate.

Sanford stated that he will resign from head of the Republican Governors association, but didn’t state whether he would be leaving his position as Governor of South Carolina. “I’ve let down a lot of people, that’s the bottom line,” says Sanford. “And in every instance, I would ask their forgiveness.”

Check out the clip below: