COLUMBIA, S.C. — Former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford has withdrawn from his congressional campaign just one month after announcing his candidacy, choosing instead to launch a nonprofit organization dedicated to tackling the nation’s debt crisis.
The 65-year-old Republican, whose political career was severely damaged by a highly publicized extramarital affair in 2009, informed The Associated Press on Thursday that he was closing down his campaign for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District seat.
“What I hope to do is to indeed build a grassroots organization — start small, but I have a fair size circle of friends and folks with whom I have some degree of influence and contacts,” Sanford explained to the AP. He also mentioned that with his first grandchild expected soon, he recognized during his campaign launch that he wanted more time with his family.
Sanford had jumped into an already crowded Republican primary field on the final day for candidate registration, facing multiple opponents who had been preparing their campaigns for months.
This wasn’t Sanford’s first time as a political underdog. When he initially ran for Congress in 1994, he was virtually unknown but managed to secure second place in the GOP primary before winning the runoff. After serving six years in the House, he successfully navigated another competitive primary to become governor, defeating the state’s last Democratic governor.
However, Sanford’s gubernatorial tenure became synonymous with scandal when he vanished for several days in 2009, claiming he was hiking the Appalachian Trail while actually visiting his mistress in Argentina. His wife, staff, and family were left unaware of his whereabouts during his absence.
Despite facing impeachment proceedings and widespread calls for his resignation, Sanford refused to step down and completed his gubernatorial term. His then-wife Jenny Sanford left the governor’s mansion in Columbia, took their four children to their Charleston-area beach house, and eventually divorced him.
Sanford staged a political comeback in 2013, winning a special election to reclaim his former House seat by defeating 15 primary opponents through multiple rounds of voting. He secured two additional full terms before losing in 2018 to a Republican challenger endorsed by then-President Donald Trump.
Following that defeat, Sanford attempted another comeback by challenging Trump for the 2020 Republican presidential nomination, positioning himself as a fiscally conservative alternative to Trump’s divisive messaging. However, he abandoned that effort just before the New Hampshire primary.
During his recent campaign activities, including appearances at county Republican gatherings and candidate debates, Sanford reported receiving “a warm reception” from voters. Nevertheless, he concluded that working outside of Congress would give him greater freedom to focus exclusively on debt-related matters.
“There are no guarantees with life, but I think that this has a better chance of elevating that issue, if I worked earnestly on it, than I was going to with the course that I was on with the campaign,” Sanford stated.
For his new South Carolina-based organization, Sanford plans to utilize over $1.3 million remaining in his federal campaign account from his 2019 departure from Congress. Using these funds, he said, demonstrates his commitment to stepping away from personal political ambitions.
When asked about permanently leaving politics, Sanford remained characteristically unpredictable.
“Look, if there’s ever a guy who would say, ‘Never say never,’ it’s me,” Sanford remarked. “But I think, realistically, yeah, and it’s recognition of that being the case.”
The Post and Courier of Charleston first broke the story of Sanford’s campaign withdrawal.
