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The reason, Republicans say and some Democrats acknowledge, is straightforward. Whatever other circumstances might cloud a race, Republicans can still argue that Democratic candidates will be nothing more than stooges for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi. Sanford made the point frequently in his own campaign, particularly during the race’s final weeks. Most memorably, he held a mock debate with a cardboard cut-out of the Democratic leader. Even the tawdry details of Sanford’s past failed to make the race about him.

With the victory of disgraced former governor Mark Sanford in the recent South Carolina congressional race, there are bound to be those who would equate his supporters with Bill Clinton's. After all, both men were unfaithful to their wives. Both men lied to their constituents about it. And both men had supporters who voted party over principle, didn't they? Not exactly. For sure, there are Republicans imbued with the libertine spirit of the age who, often sexually compromised themselves, can easily justify Sanford's behavior. There are Republicans who buy into the tripe that a politician's "personal life" should have no...

On Election Day in South Carolina, as Republican Mark Sanford seeks to regain his old congressional seat, Mika Brzezinski did her best to stop Joe Scarborough from mentioning an ugly slur that the Chairman of the state's Democratic party had made against Republican Governor Nikki Haley. SC Dem Chairman Dick Harpootlian was caught in controversy this week as he pledged to send Haley--daughter of Indian immigrants--"back to wherever the hell she came from.” According to the Morning Joe panel, Harpootlian has apologized for that remark. But Harpootlian has never apologized for his 2012 remark, comparing Haley with Adolf Hitler's mistress...

The numbers are in and former governor (I’ll leave the phrase “disgraced former governor” to the sour grapes Democrat media) Mark Sanford beat comedian Steven Colbert’s sister. Since she lost there is no need to identify her as anything else because that is what she started as and that is what she remains. Congressman-elect Mark Sanford got 54% and even though Steven Colbert’s sister’s name was on two lines and South Carolina allows aggregate vote counting she got 45%. One of the lines Steven Colbert’s sister was on was the Working Family Party’s. This is a Communist/George Soros bought and...

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Let me say upfront: I would rather we lived in a society where adultery had a higher social cost. That’s not to say people shouldn’t be forgiving or that there should be no such thing as second chances. But ideally, I’d like it if things were less loosey-goosey. Cheat on your wife, and maybe you don’t get to run for public office anymore. Send junk-tweets to random young women who aren’t your wife? Well there goes your dream of becoming mayor. Exploit an intern whose name you can barely remember while you’re the President of the United States, maybe your...

Media coverage of the South Carolina special election focused upon the candidates, Elizabeth Colbert-Busch and the winner, Mark Sanford. Yet the real winner could turn out to be somebody who isn’t from South Carolina: Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul.... ...Anyone who follows presidential politics knows that South Carolina is a key primary state. Ron Paul came up short both times, only getting one percent in the crowded primary captured eventually by Arizona Sen. John McCain with 33 percent in 2008. Four years later, Paul did much better, getting 13 percent of the votes. But Paul finished fourth of four candidates in...

A special good morning to my liberal friends who thought they might win in SC-01, but lost. Now, I know you are in high dudgeons today about the GOP and family values and Mark Sanford. But let's just start with a reality check — Mark Sanford may have cheated on his wife, but your hero Teddy Kennedy killed a lady. Good morning! Mark Sanford has won the special election in South Carolina’s first congressional district. He was abandoned by much of the South Carolina congressional delegation. He was abandoned by the NRCC and its fundraising. The Democrats outspent him by...

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Former Republican South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford revived a scandal-scarred political career by winning back his old congressional seat Tuesday in a district that hasn't elected a Democrat in three decades. The comeback was complete when he defeated Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch, the sister of political satirist Stephen Colbert. With 87 percent of the precincts reporting, Sanford had 54 percent of the vote. Sanford, who turns 53 later this month, has never lost a race in three runs for Congress and two for governor. And he said before the votes were counted Tuesday that if he lost...

Dave Wasserman ‏@Redistrict 5m It's over: Sanford wins. #SC01 Retweeted by Jay Cost and 1 other

Today’s the day that voters in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District march to the polling stations and decide whether to elect the disgraced former governor or the comedian’s sister to represent them in the House of Representatives. As if that wasn’t bad enough, now visitors will be coming to town to watch them make this embarrassing choice, and I don’t mean the media: The Justice Department will monitor voting in Charleston County, South Carolina, in Tuesday’s special election to fill a House of Representatives seat, the department said on Monday.Former South Carolina Republican Governor Mark Sanford is facing Democratic newcomer...

PPP's final poll of the special election in South Carolina's 1st Congressional District finds a race that's too close to call, with Republican Mark Sanford leading Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch 47-46. The 1 point lead for Sanford represents a 10 point reversal from PPP's poll of the race two weeks ago, when Colbert Busch led by 9 points at 50-41. Sanford has gotten back into the race by nationalizing it and painting Colbert Busch as a liberal. A plurality of voters in the district- 47%- say they think Colbert Busch is a liberal compared to 43% who characterize her as...

Key passage: I want to commend the voters of the 1st Congressional District of South Carolina who support Mark Sanford. They have the courage to toss aside lifelong convictions to embrace the sex pioneer of our time. They have rejected the religious teachings of their Bible-thumping preachers and tossed the false sanctity of marriage into the trashcan. Sanford’s fellow pioneers are teaching their children the invaluable lesson that traditional values are nothing more than a scam. These voters are telling the sanctimonious, self-righteous and hypocritical opponents of Mark Sanford, “Don’t Cry for Me, Argentina.”

It is an amazing testament to how bad the other candidates were that Mark Sanford ran away with the race in South Carolina’s first congressional district. A deeply flawed man, he was the one guy the primary voters knew wouldn’t go wobbly in Washington. But they, and I, presumed he was over the issues with his ex-wife. Unfortunately, a couple of weeks ago we learned things were not settled. The NRCC and GOP abandoned Mark Sanford as a result. In a race the GOP could still — even now — win, the GOP decided it would rather lose than win....

Elizabeth Colbert Busch seeks to distance herself from national Democrats “It’s cutting into Medicare benefits and it’s having companies lay off their employees because they are worried about the cost of it,” she said at a debate. Colbert Busch, who is running in a special election against former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford for South Carolina's 1st congressional district, noted while there are some good parts of the health care law, she was troubled by it's cost and the burden it could put on employers. "Obamacare is extremely problematic, it is expensive, it is a $500 billion cost than we...

In their first and only debate ahead of a May 7 special election for the House, Mark Sanford (R) and Elizabeth Colbert Busch (D) sparred over budgets, guns, and — of course — the Republican candidate’s personal life. Colbert Busch, a senior administrator at Clemson University, described herself as a “tough independent businesswoman” who understood budgets from her time in the private sector. Sanford, the former congressman and governor, positioned himself as a veteran lawmaker with a “twenty year track record of trying to do something about the way the government spends.” Although South Carolina’s First District is considered GOP-leaning,...

Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's (R) attempted political resurrection has turned the state’s House special election into one of the most unusual races in recent memory.  He's been damaged by personal accusations and peculiar missteps, and responded in ways previously unimagined by political operatives. Senior Republicans believe Sanford could still win in the heavily conservative district on May 7 — but it won’t be easy.  Or pretty.  Here are the five strangest moments of the campaign.1. Sanford asks his ex-wife Jenny Sanford to be his campaign manager Jenny Sanford was her husband’s campaign manager and top political adviser for...

We need help in SC-01. Mark Sanford is running slightly behind Democrat Elizabeth Colbert-Busch thanks to a ton of Nancy Pelosi's money. Now we could debate whether Sanford was the best candidate or not for Republicans but it is what it is. The 2nd place guy, Curtis Bostic, has many supporters pledging to write in his name. Even Bostic's son is encouraging it on his Twitter account. We need to encourage Bostic to do the right thing and discourage his supporters from writing in any name and encourage them to vote for Mark Sanford (even if it's not an "endorsement"...

If Mark Sanford had been asked in the early months of 2009 where he saw himself four years down the line, he probably would not have answered, “Standing on a sidewalk in front of a folding music stand, pretending to debate a poster with Nancy Pelosi’s likeness on it.” But that’s exactly what the former South Carolina governor was up to in Charleston on Wednesday: conducting the stunt as part of an effort to turn around his foundering U.S. House campaign. Sanford’s attempt to draw attention to his Democratic opponent’s reluctance to debate him risked underscoring how his once promising...

According to Public Policy Polling, anyway. Granted, polling is especially with a special election, because it’s difficult to really gauge what turnout is going to look like … but it’s kind of starting to look like, if any Republican could somehow possibly manage to lose this deeply crimson seat, Sanford could. PPP’s newest poll on the special election in South Carolina finds Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch expanding her lead to 9 points over Mark Sanford at 50/41. Green Party candidate Eugene Platt polls at 3%.Colbert Busch’s lead is on the rise for several reasons. She has a 51/35 advantage with...