Mark Sanford's Relationship Status with SC1: It's (Very) Complicated

“I thought Mark Sanford could be President someday. Now he’s like a walking reality show" — how a female voter in SC Congressional District 1 described the former congressman and governor and current candidate.

Politics has had its fair share of sex scandals. A few politicians, including Bill Clinton and Elliott Spitzer, have been able to restore their reputation after being involved in one. But few, if any, have returned to elected office.

If Mark Sanford can win the race for the First Congressional Seat—an office he used to hold—his political comeback would be virtually unrivaled.

Richard Nixon’s return, arguably the greatest of them all, was not forced by a scandal. Newt Gingrich’s comeback, though notable, was incomplete. The former Speaker of the House was competitive in the 2012 Republican Presidential race, but ultimately unsuccessful.

The calculus for a Sanford victory is fairly simple. He must convince enough people that his personal failings are outweighed by his record of fiscal conservatism.

According to Danielle Vinson, Political Science Chair at Furman University, a good way to do that would be to stop talking about his extramarital affair.

“He brings it up even when he’s not asked about it,” Vinson said. “He needs to focus on policy. I’d quit answering questions about it if I were him.”

An example of what Vinson is describing occurred during an interview on Newsmax, when Sanford brought up the scandal without being prompted.

Women Weigh In

It’s no surprise that some women voters in SC1 are more suspicious of Sanford than men. But it’s unusual to see this sentiment borne out in real time.

While speaking with a reporter at an event in Beaufort, Sanford was interrupted by a man who told him, “Mark, you’ve got my vote. But my wife…well, I’m not going to have much luck convincing her.”

This is not a small problem for Sanford, since women make up nearly 55 percent of the vote in the district and the likely nominee on the Democratic side will be Elizabeth Colbert Busch.

Conservative women voters who spoke to Patch about Sanford did so in a way that could not be described as angry. They are disappointed.

At a metting of the Sea Island Republicans, one woman, who asked not to be identified because her husband is a friend of Sanford’s, said, “(My husband and I) were big Sanford fans. I’m part of several women’s groups and whenever his name comes up, he just gets slammed.”

She continued, “He crushed me. He betrayed us all. That’s why we’re so disappointed in him. I’ll never trust him again.”

Another woman at the Sea Island Republicans meeting, who also asked for anonymity because she once attended the same church as Sanford, said, “It’s not that he cheated on his wife. It’s all the deception that went along with it. I mean, he has four boys, he could have waited until he was out of office. A strong, Christian man doesn’t do that. I’m a Christian, too. I forgive him, but I will not vote for him.”

Aisha Thurston shared these sentiments, “Family is first with me. If he’ll betray his family, that speaks to his integrity,” she said. “He’s a liar that got caught.”

The thread of hope Sanford has with voters, both male and female, is his conservative record.

Debbie Jones, an Isle of Palms resident active in conservative groups, said it’s unlikely she’ll vote for Sanford, “But, he has a stellar record as a fiscal conservative so that’s the only thing that hasn’t caused me to rule him out completely. ”

"I know that people have concerns about his past and his personal life but even when all that was going on he never stopped being a fiscal conservative," said Kaaren Mann, who does not live in District 1, but has been following the race closely. She spoke to Patch at the FreedomWorks Forum on Saturday.

Not all men are willing to brush aside Sanford’s past, either. Bill Bates of Goose Creek, who is active in multiple Lowcountry conservative groups, said, “What bothers me the most is what he did with taxpayer dollars and that he wouldn’t shut his mouth about it his personal life.”

Will A Sanford Win Mean the Circus is Back in Town?

The prospect of Sanford representing the district taps into a deeper unease among some voters. For many years, due to various scandals, South Carolina has been something of a whipping boy for late-night comedians and the national media.

This feeling was brought out by a Patch reader on Facebook who, upon hearing of Sanford’s candidacy wrote: “Wonder if we can have one election that doesn't shame our state.... Oh, nope. That didn't take long.”

“Sanford was supposed to change the national perception of the state," Vinson said. “But instead, he made it worse. South Carolina voters are sick of being the punching bag and he could end up paying for that.”

Debbie Jones said the national perception of the state is something that bothers her: “It’s kind of embarrassing that our politicians are on TV so much for the wrong reasons.”

Some observers have suggested that the mere act of running is Sanford's way of apologizing for the humiliation he brought the state. That analysis seems far-fetched. Sanford wants to win. He is campaigning vigorously, making multiple appearances per day. If anything, it is by serving District 1 that Sanford feels he can make amends. But even that might be reading too deeply into his psyche.

The only political comebacks greater than the one Sanford is trying to pull off might be those of Marion Barry and Ted Kennedy. Barry was able to be re-elected mayor of Washington, DC after serving time in federal prison. Kennedy was elected Senator from Massachusetts after leaving the scene of a car accident that killed a female passenger who was not his wife.

But do voters in District 1 want to make such history?

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