Mary Kay Culp, the executive director of Kansans for Life, the state’s largest anti-abortion group and a frequent Morrison critic, said he should resign.

But others were more cautious. Schmidt, a Republican from Independence and an attorney, said there needs to be “credible, independent fact-finding,” though he said it’s too early to say who should conduct it.

“I don’t think anybody is well served by throwing around pronouncements lightly,” Schmidt said.

Rep. Lance Kinzer, an Olathe Republican, also an attorney, said the most serious allegations involve Carter’s statements that Morrison tried to influence the ex-employees’ court case and sought inside information about Kline’s activities.

“I’m going to be cautious and not jump to any kind of conclusions here and call for any kind of particular answer,” Kinzer said.

In the final three weeks of an often bitter attorney general’s race, Kline made the early-1990s sexual harassment allegations against Morrison an issue.

The two candidates also argued publicly about Kline’s pursuit of records from abortion clinics as part of a criminal investigation.

Though he has pursued his own case, Morrison, an abortion rights supporter, criticized a case Kline, an abortion opponent, filed against abortion provider Dr. George Tiller, of Wichita. As district attorney, Kline has filed criminal charges against a Planned Parenthood clinic in Overland Park, and Morrison has been critical.

Those disputes spilled into Morrison’s affair with Carter and caused tension in their relationship, according to Carter’s statement. Morrison also was upset that she continued to work for Kline, until she left the district attorney’s office at the end of November.

Carter said she also resisted Morrison’s suggestion that she write letters for the eight former employees dismissed by Kline. In August, a federal magistrate dismissed all but one of the counts in their lawsuit.

In his statement, Morrison said: “Any allegation that I used the relationship to influence litigation is absolutely false. The only people attempting to use this painful and personal information for their own benefit are Mrs. Carter and her boss, Phill Kline.”

Carter said in her statement that she and Morrison first had sex in a vacant courthouse office and then had encounters in each others’ courthouse offices during business hours. They also met in hotel rooms in Kansas, Arkansas, Missouri and New York, according to her statement.

According to Carter, Morrison promised to divorce his wife but decided against it early in 2007, then sought to renew the affair.

Morrison said in his statement, “My actions caused pain and sadness to many people I love. I have been working for the past year to repair the damage this relationship caused to others.”

He added: “I sincerely apologize for this failing in my personal life and I pledge to continue to fight for the safety and security of Kansans to the best of my ability. I will continue to defend the people of this state and perform my public duties as I have my entire career.”