Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Voters may have not forgiven the former governor but they kept the First District seat in Republican hands Tuesday.
To become one of the most spectacular political stories of a Comeback Kid, Mark Sanford didn't need forgiveness — and didn't receive much from voters who admitted to personally disliking the former governor — but needed to take advantage of the South Carolina First Congressional District's dislike of national Democrats like House Minority Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Barack Obama. The Republican nominee for S.C. First Congressional District won 54 percent of the vote in Tuesday's special election triggered by the appointment of former Congressman and now-Sen. Tim Scott to the U.S. Senate. While the district has remained in GOP control for more than 30 years, Sanford was outspent and, at times, lagging behind his Democratic rival …
The formerly disgraced Republican governor returns to Congress with a victory.
Mark Sanford, whose political career was left for dead with dozens of ethics violations and an extramarital affair made very public, will return to Congress. With 100 precinct of precincts reporting, Sanford collected 54 percent of the votes against Elizabeth Colbert Busch in South Carolina's First Congressional District special election. Turnout was very high for a special election at 31 percent, which helped the former governor in the highly conservative district. In the end, Sanford didn't win on forgiveness — which is good, because he didn't get it. See how Sanford was able to win the election here. On Wednesday, Sanford got more good news when he settled a Charleston County Family Court case against his ex-wife, Jenny Sanford. See …
Monday, May 6, 2013
All you need to know about the past, present and future of the race for South Carolina's First Congressional District.
9:15 a.m. Update: Former Gov. Mark Sanford didn't need forgiveness to win Tuesday's special election. Which is good, because he didn't get it. But that doesn't mean he didn't know how to win. See how the Comeback Kid made it happen. His opponent, Elizabeth Colbert Busch, meanwhile, was unable to take advantage of the loads of media hype and attention her campaign received. In fact, the political novice avoided engaging Sanford on many topics or in the media. See what she told supporters on Tuesday night. 8:30 p.m. Update: With 71 percent of the precincts reporting, CNN and the Associated Press have projected Mark Sanford as the winner in Tuesday's special election for the First Congressional District. 7 p.m. Update: The polls are now …
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Former Gov. Mark Sanford presents possible double standard.
They are two charismatic Southern politicians who were fervent in their support of Christian family values, and they both admit they fell short of those ideals when they cheated on their wives. But former President Bill Clinton's extramarital affair with a White House intern is rarely an issue, while former S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford's name can hardly be uttered without some mention of his affair. At Monday's Patch.com First Congressional District Debate, Sanford asked the audience if President Clinton should be "condemned for life" for his personal failings. The line drew applause from Sanford's supporters, and raises the question of whether there's a double standard. There are key differences between Clinton's and Sanford's affairs, but does…
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Ashleymadison.com purchased a billboard along I-26 in Columbia
Former governor and current congressional candidate Mark Sanford has been on the receiving end of plenty of jokes in recent years. The billboard on I-26 in Columbia (pictured) would seem to be another one. It was purchased by the website ashleymadison.com which "is the world's leading married dating service for discreet encounters." But Noel Biderman, the CEO of Ashley Madison, told Patch the advertisement isn't meant to lampoon Sanford's extramarital affair at all. Quite the opposite. Biderman said he thinks the public is not served well when it considers personal matters for professional decisions. Biderman said public officials are elected on the basis of their professional skills and those skills don't disappear as a result of an …
Monday, April 29, 2013
Thousands watched as the only debate between the Republican and Democratic candidate aired Monday.
S.C. First Congressional District candidates came ready for a fight Monday night during the Patch/S.C. Radio Network debate held at The Citadel. Watch the full replay of the debate here. More than 500 people packed the Holliday Alumni Hall as former Gov. Mark Sanford and businesswoman Elizabeth Colbert Busch took the stage for the only debate of the race. More than 10,000 watched the livestream from ETV. Each candidate pushed on the other — Colbert Busch came ready to question Sanford's time as governor when he left the country unannounced, and Sanford came ready to question Colbert Busch on the alleged $1 million she's received from liberal donors. See how the crowd reacted to the candidates here. Colbert Busch hit Sanford with two …
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Patch sponsored the only debate between the former South Carolina governor and Stephen Colbert's sister Monday night at the Citadel. Both sides drew blood.
In a raucous debate in front of an animated crowd of South Carolinians, former S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford and maritime executive Elizabeth Colbert Busch sparred over issues of immigration, debt, health care, gay marriage and local employment. Watch the full replay of the debate here. Colbert Busch came into the evening ahead in the polls, and the consensus was that this was perhaps Sanford’s last, best chance to change the dynamics of the race for South Carolina’s first congressional district. As such, Sanford came out on the attack, and Colbert Busch worked to parry him and counterattack throughout the night. With an apparently friendly audience on her side, she seemed to weather Sanford’s attacks throughout the evening. When Sanford tried…
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Movement Fund makes first ad buy.
UPDATED: The comments of Tim Pearson were added after initial publication. Even though a potential rematch against Democrat Vincent Sheheen is 18 months away, the first campaign ad of Gov. Nikki Haley's re-election bid is set to hit South Carolina airwaves net week, according to an article in Politico. The ad is paid for by The Movement Fund, a PAC that supports the governor and has raised over $500,000. The ads will appear in Charleston, Greenville and Myrtle Beach television markets at a cost estimated to be $130,000. They arrive before Haley has confirmed she'll seek a second term, although she has set up fundraising teams across the state. Tim Pearson, Haley's Senior Advisor told Patch, "The Movement Fund ads will be asking the public…
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
With 2014 elections looming, and both facing challengers, the two SC political leaders are heading in opposite directions.
The Winthrop Poll released its April figures on Wednesday morning, showing how South Carolina residents feel about their political leaders, national leaders and the country in general. Two candidates who face 2014 election opposition find themselves going in opposite directions. Gov. Nikki Haley saw her overall approval rise 1 percentage point to 43.5 percent from the February poll. Among Republicans and those who lean GOP, it rose to 69 percent from 66.8. Haley's spokesman Rob Godfrey told Patch: “While the ups and downs of poll numbers are interesting to many political observers, Gov. Haley pays much more attention to South Carolina's jobs numbers, and she is thrilled that they are growing by the thousands.” U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, …
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Richard Cash announces Senate campaign.
A Powdersville businessman has announced that he plans to challenge Senate Lindsey Graham next year. The Anderson Independent Mail reports that Richard Cash will run against Graham in the 2014 Republican primary. On his campaign website, Cash says he's running because he believes Graham is “out of touch with South Carolina values and voters” and that he no longer trusts Graham's judgement. We need a voice that represents Christian, conservative, and Republican principles instead of the latest bi-partisan “deal” that simply makes matters worse. “We need a voice that represents Christian, conservative, and Republican principles instead of the latest bi-partisan “deal” that simply makes matters worse,” Cash says. Cash is no stranger to SC …
Tony
8:14 am on Monday, May 13, 2013
The Big HOUSE; it was the county jail lady! more ›