Mark Sanford Clears the First Hurdle of His Political Comeback

On Tuesday, former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) easily claimed the top position in the 1st Congressional District's special primary last night, capturing 37 percent of the vote within a huge field of sixteen Republican candidates. He will advance to the April 2nd run-off election against former Charleston County Councilman Curtis Bostic, who nipped state Sen. Larry Grooms for second place. The former Governor and three-term Congressman broke 40 percent in his home of Charleston County, the district's most populous region. But, in terms of the fast approaching run-off election, even his 41 percent finish in Charleston is a light year away from scoring a 50 percent plus one vote majority. District-wide, 63 percent of the Republicans who went to the polls chose a candidate other than Sanford, even though the former Governor has universal name identification. Still, considering the hardened negative image after his extra-marital affair with an Argentine mistress became international news, Mr. Sanford's showing last night does indicate that he retains a base of residual support. Mr. Bostic, the man the ex-Governor will face in the run-off election, claimed 13 percent of the vote, edging state Sen. Grooms' 12 percent. Teddy Turner, the son of media mogul Ted Turner, finished fourth with 8 percent. It was a disappointing night for the sitting Republican state legislators. Aside from Grooms, none of the other three came close to reaching the top tier as state Reps. Andy Patrick (7 percent), Chip Limehouse (6 percent), and Peter McCoy (2 percent) all performed poorly. Though heavily outspent, Mr. Bostic commanded a strong grassroots campaign and his background as a public official, community activist, major non-profit organizer, and attorney will compare favorably to Sanford. He will now be in a position to take advantage of the opportunity to coalesce the vast majority of the anti-Sanford votes. For the Democrats, Elizabeth Colbert Busch, sister of Comedy Central comedian Stephen Colbert, captured almost all of her party's votes. She scored a 96-4 percent win versus former congressional nominee Ben Frasier, who spent less than $10,000 on the primary race. It is clear that last night's primary election was a victory in Mark Sanford's quest for a political comeback. But, will it be short lived? In looking ahead to the next challenge, a head-to-head contest against a highly credible opponent, this election performance might mark the last such win he experiences. Sanford has time and money on his side. Bostic clearly has a strong organization and the ability to contrast Sanford's negative image. Should Bostic win the run-off, the seat will be his as Democratic nominee Elizabeth Colbert Busch will be no match for a more positive Republican. Should Sanford squeak through to obtain the nomination, then she will be very much alive and the national GOP will again have to expend large amounts of money to protect what should be a very safe seat. For more information, please contact David Ashinoff at (202) 547-5013 or ashinoffd@agc.org.