SC1: Colbert Busch Comes Up Short in Upset Bid

Elizabeth Colbert Busch came up short in her bid to become the first Democrat to represent the First Congressional District in more than 30 years.

Colbert Busch was defeated by Republican Mark Sanford 54-45 percent. Turnout was estimated to be 31 percent, very high for a special election and one of the many factors working in Sanford's favor.

Colbert Busch spoke briefly to her supporters once the race was called, thanking them for their support and acknowledging that, given the staunch Republican majority in the district, the race was an uphill climb from the start.

Sanford’s win caps one of the most remarkable comebacks in political history and returns him to the office he held from 1995-2001.

Colbert Busch was not able to capitalize on the burst of media attention she received when she announced her candidacy in January. That attention came largely because of her younger brother Stephen, the comedian who hosts “The Colbert Report” on Comedy Central. It also gave her a major fundraising advantage over Sanford. Her campaign and related PACs raised three times the money of Sanford.

Colbert Busch cruised to the Democratic nomination and early in the general election appeared to have an edge over Sanford.

A political novice, Colbert Busch rarely engaged the far more experienced Sanford on the issues and was less accessible to the media than the former governor. She kept to a tight script and a positive message while surrogates blistered Sanford for his June 2009 affair.

A poll in early April showed Colbert Busch with a nine-point lead, but that came when Sanford was at a low, recovering from the news that he was facing contempt of charges for violating the terms of his divorce with his ex-wife Jenny.

The Sanford campaign relentlessly attacked Colbert Busch for being a rubber stamp for the agenda of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is deeply unpopular in the district.

Sanford continued that line of attack in the race’s only debate. Colbert Busch was never able to effectively break the link between her and Pelosi, a fact verified by the many Sanford voters on Election Day who cited their connection as the reason they voted for Sanford. Further proof of the success of Sanford's strategy was the two polls that showed him surging and the race a statistical dead heat.

In the end, the Pelosi link was too great to overcome in a district to went to Mitt Romney by 18 points in November.

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