In August 2008 , senior figures in the Democratic Party warned that Edwards ' failure to respond to the allegations could affect his role at the 2008 Democratic convention . According to Don Fowler , former Democratic National Committee chair , " If there is not an explanation that 's satisfactory , acceptable and meets high moral standards , the answer is ' no , ' Edwards would not be a prime candidate to make a major address to the convention . " Gary Pearce , who ran Edwards ' 1998 Senate race , said , " It 's a very damaging thing . ... If it 's not true , Edwards has got to stand up and say , ' This is not true . That is not my child and I 'm going to take legal action against the people who are spreading these lies . ' It 's not enough to say , ' That 's tabloid trash . Edwards ' admission that he engaged in an affair came less than a day after these warnings were published
2008 Democratic convention
2008 Democratic National Convention
John Edwards extramarital affair