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2d ago

Mark Sanford Files Last-Minute Bid for His Old South Carolina House Seat

The comeback bid tests whether Lowcountry Republicans want a debt-focused fiscal hawk with a well-known past.

FILE - Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford speaks during a news conference in front of the Statehouse, Nov. 12, 2019, in Concord, N.H. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)
Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, center, waves as he and his ex-wife, former first lady Jenny Sanford McKay, right, are introduced at the second inaugural of Gov. Henry McMaster on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Meg Kinnard)
Rep. Mark Sanford (R-SC) attends a picnic for members of Congress hosted by U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House in Washington September 17, 2014. Sanford and his former wife have agreed to go to mediation over the latest spat arising from their divorce in 2010 after his extramarital affair while serving as the state's governor, a judge said on Monday. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque (UNITED STATES - Tags: POLITICS)
Rep. Mark Sanford, seen here at a hot dog lunch in the Rayburn courtyard in July 2016, already served two stints in Congress — and is now eyeing a third.

Overview

  • Sanford, who filed hours before Monday's deadline, entered the June 9 Republican primary for South Carolina’s 1st District.
  • The seat is open because Rep. Nancy Mace is running for governor rather than seeking another term.
  • He is centering his message on cutting federal debt and starts with about $1.3 million left in a federal campaign account.
  • In a field that already includes at least 10 Republicans and four Democrats, state Rep. Mark Smith attacked the bid, citing Sanford’s 2009 Argentina scandal and opposition to Trump.
  • He twice held the seat and served as governor, later losing a 2018 primary to a Trump-backed challenger, in a district Cook now rates as solid Republican.