TROY, Mich. (AP) — When Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and Louisiana Sen. David Vitter were named in sex scandals, the lawmakers largely shunned the public eye before discussing allegations of marital infidelities.

But Sen. Debbie Stabenow mostly kept to her schedule Wednesday, hours after news broke that her husband told authorities he had a $150 encounter with a prostitute.

With the scrutiny directed at her spouse, Stabenow vowed to work through what she described as a family matter. She participated in meetings with fellow Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee, listened to a briefing on health information technology and met with constituents.

“I have to say we are tough in Michigan and resilient and working hard to bring new opportunities and new industries,” Stabenow said in a speech on the Senate floor about Michigan’s struggling economy.

Some of her words could have described her own struggle.

Her husband, Thomas Athans, 46, was stopped by police who were investigating prostitution at the hotel, according to a police report obtained Wednesday by The Associated Press under the state Freedom of Information Act.

Athans, co-founder of the liberal TalkUSA Radio network, apologized in a statement issued by his attorney and said he “fully cooperated with law enforcement. My family and I are dealing with this matter in a personal and private way.”

Stabenow, in an interview with The AP, said she wanted “folks to know that I’m grateful for their prayers and support and this is a family matter that is very difficult but we are going to work through it.”

Athans’ involvement with a prostitute brought comparisons to New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer, who resigned last month after allegations he spent thousands of dollars on a call girl at a swanky Washington hotel on the night before Valentine’s Day.

The Detroit Free Press and The Detroit News first reported on the Athans’ case in stories on their Web sites Wednesday.

Stabenow was scheduled to attend a morning news conference with University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman but did not appear. Stabenow later spoke on the Senate floor on housing legislation.

Vitter, R-La., went into seclusion for a week after admitting links to a Washington escort service that federal prosecutors allege was a prostitution ring.

Kilpatrick stayed at the mayor’s mansion and avoided public comment for about a week after the Free Press published excerpts of embarrassing and sexually explicit text messages, prompting an investigation that led to perjury charges against the mayor and his former chief of staff.

Troy police set up a stakeout at the Residence Inn after learning of suspected prostitution at a room there Feb. 25, the police report said. Officers said they saw Athans enter the room Feb. 26 and leave 15 minutes later.

They stopped Athans’ car and informed him they were investigating prostitution.