Comeback complete, Republican Sanford could be wild card in Congress

By John Whitesides

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fresh off a redemptive win in South Carolina's special election, former Governor Mark Sanford's return to Congress will make him a prominent wild card in an already fractious Republican caucus.

Sanford, whose political career was short-circuited in 2009 by an extramarital affair that marred his last 18 months as governor, earned a political rebirth along with a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday by defeating Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch.

Sanford will arrive in Washington owing little to the Republican Party's leadership, which withheld its support as he battled Colbert Busch in their heavily Republican district. Once he returns to the House seat he held from 1995 to 2001, his independence and staunch fiscal conservatism could give him clout as Congress enters another round of divisive battles over the federal budget.

"There is obviously the potential for Sanford to be a real thorn in (the House Republican) leadership's side," Republican strategist Ford O'Connell said. "He's a free agent; he can do whatever he wants."

The House Republican campaign committee did not give any financial support to his bid for a political comeback, but Sanford said on Wednesday he was willing to work with party leaders.

"I would say yesterday is yesterday and today is today, and I look forward to working with them," Sanford said on CBS's "This Morning" show.

Sanford's victory completed his comeback from a scandal that began when he disappeared for five days in June 2009 to secretly visit his mistress in Argentina. He had told his staff that he would be hiking along the Appalachian Trail.

In launching his comeback, Sanford - now divorced from Jenny Sanford and engaged to Maria Belen Chapur, the Argentinian woman with whom he had the affair - survived a 16-way Republican primary and a runoff in April. He then topped Colbert Busch in the race to succeed Republican Tim Scott, who was appointed to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated when Jim DeMint retired.

The House Republican campaign committee dropped its financial support of Sanford last month after reports that his ex-wife had accused him of trespassing on her property, in violation of their divorce agreement. Sanford said he was in the house to watch the Super Bowl with his youngest son.

Sanford will appear in court in South Carolina on Thursday to answer the trespassing complaint before he heads to Washington to resume his career in Congress.

'PROVEN RECORD'

Sanford attributed his win to his record of fiscal conservatism. He said on Wednesday he will have "plenty of friends" in Washington and would work hard with members of both parties to cut the budget.

"At the end of the day, I think people care about how politics impacts their lives," he said on NBC's "Today" show. "I've got a rather proven record in trying to do something on that front, particularly as it relates to financial issues."

House Speaker John Boehner and other Republican leaders have had difficulty keeping conservative members in line during the budget debates. Sanford pushed hard to cut spending during his first stint in Congress, before the Tea Party movement made it a top priority for Republicans, and he can be expected to make his voice heard during the upcoming budget battles.

"He's been a little bit of a rebel. He's been more conservative than about 90 percent of Republicans based on his past voting record," said Gibbs Knotts, political science chairman at College of Charleston.

He also is likely to be around a while. The heavy Republican tilt of the coastal district, which Mitt Romney won by 18 percentage points last year in the presidential election, makes it unlikely that Democrats will be able to mount a viable challenge to Sanford anytime soon.

Both parties tried to make the best of Sanford's win, however. Republicans portrayed it as a sign of voter dissatisfaction with the agenda of national Democrats and President Barack Obama. Democrats said his election would undermine Republican efforts to appeal to women voters.

But analysts warned that, despite all the national attention to the race, the result probably revealed little about the broader mood of voters in the off-year between the 2012 presidential election and the 2014 congressional elections.

Sanford was able to link Colbert Busch to Washington liberals like House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, appearing at one point in a mock debate with a cardboard cutout of the liberal Pelosi.

"It was a triumph of demographics and ideology for Sanford. He took positions that were more in line with the district's Republican voters," Knotts said.

The Democratic House campaign committee and Democratic-leaning outside groups poured nearly $1 million into the race against Sanford. Despite the loss, they said Sanford's election made a mockery of Republican efforts to appeal to women.

"House Republicans' outreach to women voters now has Mark Sanford as the face," said Representative Steve Israel of New York, Democratic House campaign committee chairman. "Republicans now have to defend him and stand with him until election day."

Although they failed to support his campaign, national Republicans claimed it was a warning sign for Democrats looking toward the 2014 elections.

"At the end of the day, running on the Obama-Pelosi ticket was just too toxic for Elizabeth Colbert Busch," said Representative Greg Walden of Oregon, Republican House campaign committee chairman.

(Additional reporting by Harriet McLeod in South Carolina, Vicki Allen in Washington; Editing by David Lindsey and Cynthia Osterman)

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Sanford wins election for S.C. House seat

Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (Richard Ellis/Getty Images)

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. --Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford defeated Democratic businesswoman Elizabeth Colbert Busch in a special House election for South Carolina's first congressional district, despite an expansive effort among Democrats to turn the district blue for the first time in more than 30 years.

The district seat, which was left open when former Republican Rep. Tim Scott was appointed to the Senate earlier this year, will remain in Republican hands. Before the results came in Tuesday, the seat appeared closer to going Democratic than at any time in the past thirty years.

Sanford, a candidate plagued by scandal after he admitted using public funds to leave the country to visit an Argentine mistress while governor, defeated 15 Republicans earlier this year to secure the party nomination. Aided by running in a solidly Republican district, Sanford overcame his past by arguing that the race was a referendum on President Barack Obama's policies, and that a vote for Colbert Busch would be synonymous with support for liberal Democrats like House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

Because of Sanford's blemished past, Democrats saw a rare opportunity to take control of the seat and poured significant resources into the effort. Had they been successful, the victory would have been an important symbolic victory that would have provided momentum for Democrats working to rebuild their majority in the House.

By winning the seat, Sanford will be returning to familiar territory: Before his first term as governor, he represented the district in the House from 1995 to 2001.

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South Carolina ex-governor Mark Sanford wins House seat

CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Reuters) - Former Republican Governor Mark Sanford scored a political comeback on Tuesday, rebounding from a sex scandal to beat Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch in a congressional race to represent coastal South Carolina.

With 91 percent of the results in, Sanford had nearly 55 percent of the vote to 45 percent for Colbert Busch, who conceded the race.

Sanford regained the First Congressional District seat he held from 1995 to 2001 before serving two terms as governor, the latter of which was marred when he attempted to hide an affair by saying he was hiking the Appalachian Trail.

Colbert Busch, a businesswoman and sister of television political satirist Stephen Colbert, lost her first bid for office after leading Sanford in a poll two weeks before the special election.

(Reporting by Harriet McLeod; Writing by Colleen Jenkins; Editing by Cynthia Johnston)

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Forget Sanford and Colbert Busch, Glover rules SC's lowcountry

(Chris Moody/Yahoo News)

BEAUFORT, S.C. -- Campaign fever has swept the lower region of South Carolina's first congressional district, but the anticipation for next week's election has little to do with Mark Sanford or Elizabeth Colbert Busch.

The true contender is Beaufort-born Candice Glover, a 23-year-old top finalist on the hit television show "American Idol." Over the weekend, the window fronts of businesses along Main Street here were covered with campaign posters that read "Vote for Candice Y'all" and nearly everyone sported "I Voted Candice Glover For American Idol" stickers on their chests. On Saturday, the town even organized a parade for her, where thousands lined the street to see their hometown hero perform before her final competition in Los Angeles. Aside from just a handful of people on the outskirts of the parade waving campaign posters for Sanford and a Colbert Busch yard sign planted along the parade route, all the attention was on Glover. (Colbert Busch visited Beaufort on Friday and Sanford attended the parade Saturday.) Katie and Kayleigh Edgerly rally for Candice Glover. (Chris Moody/Yahoo News)

Lost in the hullabaloo in this storybook waterfront town is the other upcoming contest--an actual election-- to fill the state's open congressional seat. "No one is here to see Sanford," a man wearing a "Vote: Candice" t-shirt told me. "You're probably the only one."

But Sanford was present, making his way through the crowd, shaking hands and snapping photos with all who would stop and greet him.

One might be forgiven for not noticing him at first.

Standing in a pair of old, beaten up leather shoes, casual Izod khakis and a blue checkered oxford shirt, Sanford looked like any other dad at the parade. He meandered among the people without a flashy entourage or even a gaggle of reporters chasing him. Supporters found their old governor nonetheless--at times only after making a double-take--and stopped to pledge support for him in Tuesday's election.

Surrounded by people, Sanford appeared more exhilarated with every hand shaken and photo taken. "Happy Candice Day!" he would say before extending his hand.

Sanford could hardly walk three steps before another person would approached him. One group of men standing on a balcony overlooking the parade route spotted him in the crowd and shouted, "Mark!" before nodding their heads and giving a silent thumbs up.

Some felt the urge to tell him that they had forgiven him for his behavior as governor, when he secretly left the country to meet his Argentine mistress--now his fiance--a decision that many said at the time would end his political career.

"I'm glad you're making a comeback," a man told Sanford as he shook his hand.

"Thank God for second chances," the man's wife added.

"I agree with that," Sanford said.

Others, of course, offered less grace. Some who recognized him looked the other way, or shouted things like, "Go back to Argentina!" or "Elizabeth!" the first name of his opponent.

Still, Sanford appeared grateful. Between conversations and handshakes with parade watchers, he stopped for a moment to reflect.

"It's a blessing," Sanford said. "I've been to a place where people didn't want to get their picture taken with me."

Perhaps the true blessing, at least here, is that he's not running against Candice Glover.

Mark Sanford in Beaufort, South Carolina. (Chris Moody/Yahoo News)

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Sanford deflects talk of affair in South Carolina debate

By Harriet McLeod

CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Reuters) - Former Governor Mark Sanford deflected criticism of an extramarital affair leveled in a debate on Monday by his opponent for a South Carolina congressional seat, political newcomer Elizabeth Colbert Busch.

Sanford, a Republican, is hoping to revive his political career after he famously disappeared from the state in 2009 while he was governor to visit his mistress in Argentina, telling aides that he was hiking the Appalachian Trail.

Colbert Busch, the sister of television comedian and political satirist Stephen Colbert, is a Democratic businesswoman making her first run for public office.

The election to fill the seat left vacant when Republican congressman Tim Scott was appointed to the Senate will be held on May 7.

Sanford formerly held the congressional seat between 1995 and 2001. In addition to the affair, he has been hurt by accusations by his ex-wife, Jenny Sanford, that he trespassed on her property.

"Some in the national media seem to think it's a race between Jenny Sanford and Stephen Colbert," moderator John Avlon said in opening the debate.

For the most part, the candidates sought to prove otherwise.

While they spent much of the debate carving out their differences on federal spending and immigration, the debate's most peculiar moment came when Colbert Busch raised the Appalachian Trail incident but failed to get a reaction out of Sanford, who said he had not heard the jab.

"When we talk about fiscal spending and we talk about protecting the taxpayers, it doesn't mean you take that money we saved and leave the country for a personal purpose," Colbert Busch said.

Amid boos and laughter from the audience, Sanford said: "I couldn't hear what she said."

"Repeat it, I didn't hear it, I'm sorry," he said.

COLBERT BUSCH LEADS POLL

A Public Policy Polling survey released earlier this month found Colbert Busch leading among likely voters 50 percent to Sanford's 41 percent.

The poll followed the revelation that Sanford's ex-wife had accused him in court documents of trespassing at her home, and the National Republican Congressional Committee's announcement it would no longer take part in Sanford's campaign.

Sanford said he had gone to his ex-wife's house in February while she was out of town to watch the Super Bowl with one of their sons and that he had been unable to reach her to ask for the permission required under their divorce settlement.

For much of the debate, Sanford sought to remind voters of his conservative credentials, while Colbert Busch sought to dismiss Sanford's claim that, if elected, she would do the bidding of labor unions and her liberal supporters in Congress.

"I want to be very clear, Mark," Colbert Busch said. "Nobody tells me what to do. I am a fiscally conservative, independent tough businesswoman. Let's talk about reaching across the aisles and being practical."

Colbert Busch, business development director of Clemson University's Restoration Institute, said that, if elected, she would cut her own salary by $10,000.

Sanford touted his record of fiscal conservatism in three terms in Congress and two terms as governor.

"I would look back on my time in Congress as a short patch in Washington when budgets were actually balanced. I was against earmarks before being against earmarks was cool," he said.

On immigration reform, Sanford argued for a more robust guest worker program and an extended "low-tech fence."

Colbert Busch said she supports legislation in the U.S. Senate that offers a "tough and fair" path to citizenship for illegal immigrants.

While Colbert Busch's famous brother did not come up, Sanford did get one other opportunity to address the scandal that derailed his political career.

Asked if he regretted voting for President Bill Clinton's impeachment in 1998, after Clinton admitted to an affair, Sanford responded by saying he would reframe the question.

"Do you think that President Clinton should be condemned for a mistake he made in his life for the rest of his life?" Sanford said.

(Reporting by Harriet McLeod; Editing by Edith Honan and Eric Beech)

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Colbert Busch leads Sanford in South Carolina congressional race: poll

By Harriet McLeod

CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Reuters) - Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch has a nine-point lead over former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford, her Republican opponent in the race for the state's open congressional seat, according to a poll released on Monday.

In the first independent poll taken since the primary election, Colbert Busch was favored by likely voters 50 percent to Sanford's 41 percent, Public Policy Polling said.

Colbert Busch, a businesswoman making her first run for public office, is the sister of television comedian and political satirist Stephen Colbert.

As governor, Sanford famously disappeared from the state in 2009 to visit his mistress in Argentina while telling aides that he was hiking the Appalachian Trail. Sanford formerly held the congressional seat between 1995 and 2001.

The National Republican Congressional Committee announced last week that it would no longer take part in Sanford's campaign after revelations that his ex-wife, Jenny Sanford, had accused him in court documents of trespassing at her home.

Sanford said he had gone to his ex-wife's house in February while she was out of town to watch the Super Bowl with one of their sons and that he had been unable to reach her to ask for the permission required under their divorce settlement.

The Public Policy poll showed 56 percent of likely voters surveyed rated Sanford unfavorably and 51 percent said the trespassing allegations gave them doubts about his fitness for public office.

Sixty-five percent of Republicans surveyed, however, said the trespassing accusations did not give them any doubts about him.

The election will be held on May 7 to fill the seat left vacant when Republican Congressman Tim Scott was appointed to the Senate.

"Elizabeth Colbert Busch is now looking like a clear favorite in the special election," Dean Debnam, president of the polling firm, said in a statement.

The poll surveyed 796 likely voters from April 19 to 21 and had an error margin of plus or minus 3.5 percentage points.

Colbert Busch has not commented on the trespassing issue. She plans to hold a rally for women and in support of women's issues on Wednesday in Charleston.

Sanford said he will make 15 campaign stops this week. He criticized Colbert Busch, who has refused to make joint appearances, of running a "stealth campaign."

The two will face off on Monday night in Charleston in the first, and likely only candidates' debate.

(Editing by Jane Sutton and Andrew Hay)

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Republican group parts with Sanford after trespassing report

By Harriet McLeod

CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Reuters) - Former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford has been accused by his ex-wife of trespassing at her home and must appear in court on May 9, two days after he stands for election as the Republican nominee for an open congressional seat.

Jenny Sanford, who divorced the former governor after revelations of his affair with an Argentine woman while he was in office, returned from a trip on February 3 to find Mark Sanford leaving her home through a back door using his phone as a flashlight, according to court documents.

Mark Sanford said on Wednesday that he had gone to her house on Sullivan's Island near Charleston to watch a football game with one of the couple's four sons.

"I did indeed watch the second half of the Super Bowl at the beach house with our 14-year-old son because as a father I didn't think he should watch it alone," Sanford said in a statement.

"Given she was out of town, I tried to reach her beforehand to tell her of the situation that had arisen, and met her at the back steps under the light of my cell phone when she returned and told her what had happened," he said.

The trespassing allegation comes as Mark Sanford seeks to make a political comeback by running for South Carolina's 1st congressional district seat, which he held from 1995 to 2001.

He will face Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch, the sister of TV comedian and political satirist Stephen Colbert, in a special election on May 7. The seat was previously held by Tim Scott, who in December was appointed to serve in the U.S. Senate.

Sanford has faced criticism for a 2009 incident while he was governor, in which he tried to cover up a trip to Argentina to visit his mistress by saying he was hiking the Appalachian Trail. He is now engaged to the woman.

The Sanfords' 2010 divorce agreement states that neither can enter the other's home without specific permission, according to the complaint filed by Jenny Sanford in Charleston County court.

The complaint alleges Mark Sanford has previously disobeyed the order and "has entered into a pattern of entering onto plaintiff's property, both at her former and current residences, without her permission and against her wishes."

Jenny Sanford has "demanded that it not occur again" and also filed a "No Trespass" letter with her local police department, the complaint said.

Jenny Sanford, who used to manage Mark Sanford's campaigns, could not be reached for comment on Wednesday.

Colbert Busch declined through a spokesman to comment about the accusation against her opponent.

"There is always another side to every story," Mark Sanford said in his statement, adding that it was his belief the court records should have been sealed.

"I agree with Jenny that the media is no place to debate what is ultimately a family court matter, and out of respect for Jenny and the boys, I'm not going to have any further comment at this time," he said.

(Reporting by Harriet McLeod; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Cynthia Johnston and Steve Orlofsky)

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Sanford advances in South Carolina primary for House seat: TV

CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Reuters) - Former Governor Mark Sanford advanced to a Republican Party runoff in a special primary election to fill one of South Carolina's seats in the House of Representatives, WCBD television projected on Tuesday.

None of the 16 Republican candidates on the ballot appeared to receive a majority, which would force a runoff on April 2.

Official results showed Sanford with 37 percent of the vote, with about 53,000 votes counted. Candidates Curtis Bostic and Larry Grooms had about 13 percent each.

The Republican winner will face Democratic nominee Elizabeth Colbert Busch in the general election on May 7.

(Reporting by Harriet McLeod; Editing by Daniel Trotta and Stacey Joyce)

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Sanford headed for runoff in South Carolina Republican primary: TV

By Harriet McLeod

CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Reuters) - Former Governor Mark Sanford advanced to a Republican Party runoff in a special primary election to fill one of South Carolina's seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, WCBD-TV projected on Tuesday.

The primary runoff is set for April 2.

The winner of the runoff will face Elizabeth Colbert Busch, the sister of TV comedian and political satirist Stephen Colbert, who easily won the Democratic Party nomination on Tuesday in her first run for political office.

The general election is set for May 7.

Sanford comfortably led the Republican field of candidates with 37 percent of ballots, according to results posted on official website of the State Election Commission, but not enough to avoid a runoff. It was not clear who he will face in the runoff with two other candidates tied for second place.

Colbert Busch won the Democratic contest by a landslide taking more than 95 percent of ballots cast. During the campaign she touted her experience as director of sales for a shipping line and a leader in advocating science and math education in South Carolina.

Her famous brother, host of the late night TV political comedy show, The Colbert Report, campaigned on her behalf.

Sanford says he is seeking redemption after an affair in office that ended his marriage. Sanford's wife divorced him when the affair became public in 2009, after aides said he was hiking the Appalachian Trail while he was in fact visiting Argentina.

He is now engaged to his former mistress Maria Belen Chapur, an Argentine journalist.

The congressional seat was vacated by Republican Tim Scott, who was appointed to replace Republican Jim DeMint in the U.S. Senate after he resigned in December to head the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.

The district, which was redrawn after the 2010 Census, encompasses the city of Charleston and parts of four nearby rural counties and stretches south along the coast to include wealthy Hilton Head Island.

(Editing by Dan Trotta, David Adams and Lisa Shumaker)

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