Kissing Congressman - and His Wife - Ask Louisiana Voters to Forgive

The kissing congressman is back. This time, he's with his wife.

Rep. Vance McAllister, the Louisiana Republican who was caught on surveillance video passionately kissing a married woman on his staff, released a new TV commercial today. His wife is looking into his eyes, praising his character as she says: "I'm blessed to have a husband who owns up to his mistakes."

It's the latest in the story of the McAllisters, whose marriage was thrust into the spotlight in April after a compromising video of the congressman surfaced. Republican leaders in Louisiana and Washington urged him to resign, but he issued a public apology, asked for forgiveness and said he would let the voters of Louisiana's 5 th Congressional District decide.

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"Life is filled with ups and downs," McAllister says in the ad.

"But a man's character is based on how many times he gets back up and stands again," says his wife, Kelly McAllister.

As images of their children pass by on the screen, she reaches over to clasp his hand and shows her diamond ring, while he says he is "blessed with a great family and a wonderful Christian wife."

Then, she replies: "I'm blessed to have a husband who owns up to his mistakes, never gives up, always fighting for the good people of Louisiana."

In June, Kelly McAllister said she fully supported her husband's decision to run. But the ad released today, called "Blessed," marks the first time the couple has made the indiscretion a central part of the campaign.

McAllister, who won his Congressional seat a year ago in a special election, now faces several challengers, including Zach Dasher, a nephew of "Duck Dynasty" TV star Phil Robertson. If none of the candidates win at least 50 percent of the vote on Nov. 4, the top two rivals face off in a runoff election in December.