Wednesday, May 8, 2013
Maria Chapur joined fiance Mark Sanford at his SC1 victory party in Mount Pleasant.
MOUNT PLEASANT, SC — Looking forward to Congressman-elect Mark Sanford's wedding to Maria Belen Chapur of Argentina? Chapur wasn't quite ready to announce any wedding plans when she arrived at her fiance's victory party Tuesday in Mount Pleasant. "We're just celebrating tonight," she told Patch. In Sanford's acceptance speech, he thanked his fiancee for making a 10-hour trip from Argentina. Watch his acceptance video here. In April, Chapur also attended Sanford's GOP primary victory party. If Sanford and Chapur tie the knot while he's in office, Sanford won't be the first Congressman to marry after being elected. Most recently, in December 2012, Congressman-elect Joe Kennedy III married. Chapur made Time's list of Top 10 Mistresses of …
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Voters may have not forgiven the former governor but they kept the First District seat in Republican hands Tuesday.
To become one of the most spectacular political stories of a Comeback Kid, Mark Sanford didn't need forgiveness — and didn't receive much from voters who admitted to personally disliking the former governor — but needed to take advantage of the South Carolina First Congressional District's dislike of national Democrats like House Minority Speaker Nancy Pelosi and President Barack Obama. The Republican nominee for S.C. First Congressional District won 54 percent of the vote in Tuesday's special election triggered by the appointment of former Congressman and now-Sen. Tim Scott to the U.S. Senate. While the district has remained in GOP control for more than 30 years, Sanford was outspent and, at times, lagging behind his Democratic rival …
The formerly disgraced Republican governor returns to Congress with a victory.
Mark Sanford, whose political career was left for dead with dozens of ethics violations and an extramarital affair made very public, will return to Congress. With 100 precinct of precincts reporting, Sanford collected 54 percent of the votes against Elizabeth Colbert Busch in South Carolina's First Congressional District special election. Turnout was very high for a special election at 31 percent, which helped the former governor in the highly conservative district. In the end, Sanford didn't win on forgiveness — which is good, because he didn't get it. See how Sanford was able to win the election here. On Wednesday, Sanford got more good news when he settled a Charleston County Family Court case against his ex-wife, Jenny Sanford. See …
Monday, May 6, 2013
All you need to know about the past, present and future of the race for South Carolina's First Congressional District.
9:15 a.m. Update: Former Gov. Mark Sanford didn't need forgiveness to win Tuesday's special election. Which is good, because he didn't get it. But that doesn't mean he didn't know how to win. See how the Comeback Kid made it happen. His opponent, Elizabeth Colbert Busch, meanwhile, was unable to take advantage of the loads of media hype and attention her campaign received. In fact, the political novice avoided engaging Sanford on many topics or in the media. See what she told supporters on Tuesday night. 8:30 p.m. Update: With 71 percent of the precincts reporting, CNN and the Associated Press have projected Mark Sanford as the winner in Tuesday's special election for the First Congressional District. 7 p.m. Update: The polls are now …
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Former Gov. Mark Sanford presents possible double standard.
They are two charismatic Southern politicians who were fervent in their support of Christian family values, and they both admit they fell short of those ideals when they cheated on their wives. But former President Bill Clinton's extramarital affair with a White House intern is rarely an issue, while former S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford's name can hardly be uttered without some mention of his affair. At Monday's Patch.com First Congressional District Debate, Sanford asked the audience if President Clinton should be "condemned for life" for his personal failings. The line drew applause from Sanford's supporters, and raises the question of whether there's a double standard. There are key differences between Clinton's and Sanford's affairs, but does…
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Ashleymadison.com purchased a billboard along I-26 in Columbia
Former governor and current congressional candidate Mark Sanford has been on the receiving end of plenty of jokes in recent years. The billboard on I-26 in Columbia (pictured) would seem to be another one. It was purchased by the website ashleymadison.com which "is the world's leading married dating service for discreet encounters." But Noel Biderman, the CEO of Ashley Madison, told Patch the advertisement isn't meant to lampoon Sanford's extramarital affair at all. Quite the opposite. Biderman said he thinks the public is not served well when it considers personal matters for professional decisions. Biderman said public officials are elected on the basis of their professional skills and those skills don't disappear as a result of an …
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Patch sponsored the only debate between the former South Carolina governor and Stephen Colbert's sister Monday night at the Citadel. Both sides drew blood.
In a raucous debate in front of an animated crowd of South Carolinians, former S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford and maritime executive Elizabeth Colbert Busch sparred over issues of immigration, debt, health care, gay marriage and local employment. Watch the full replay of the debate here. Colbert Busch came into the evening ahead in the polls, and the consensus was that this was perhaps Sanford’s last, best chance to change the dynamics of the race for South Carolina’s first congressional district. As such, Sanford came out on the attack, and Colbert Busch worked to parry him and counterattack throughout the night. With an apparently friendly audience on her side, she seemed to weather Sanford’s attacks throughout the evening. When Sanford tried…
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
Jenny Sanford says her ex-husband was on her property illegally.
Mark Sanford has responded to the charges. See his response here. DOCUMENTS: Read the family court filings. UPDATE: Comments from Jenny Sanford added. The attorney for Mark Sanford's ex-wife Jenny Sanford told the Associated Press that he was confronted by her at her Lowcountry residence on Feb. 3. A complaint was filed the next day. Mark Sanford will be required to appear in court on May 9, two days after the election that he hopes will return him to public office. The documents the AP acquired indicate that Jenny Sanford said her former husband was using his cellphone as a flashlight as he left. The couple's divorce settlement says neither may enter the other's home without permission. Reached by The State, Jenny Sanford declined …
Friday, January 18, 2013
Entry sure to bring even greater interest to an already-compelling race.
COLUMBIA, SC -- Patch has confirmed that Elizabeth Colbert-Busch, the sister of comedian Stephen Colbert, will seek the Democratic nomination for the First Congressional District. She will file her candidacy papers on Tuesday according Amanda Loveday, Executive Director of the South Carolina Democratic Party. Colbert-Busch is the Director of Sales and Marketing for Clemson University’s Wind Turbine Drivetrain Testing Facility. Previously, she was the Director of Business Development for Clemson University’s Restoration Institute. The Mount Pleasant resident has three children and two grandchildren and deep ties to the Lowcountry. This will be her first foray into public life. Based on name recognition and her ability to compete …
Friday, December 21, 2012
Former first lady could square off against ex husband Mark Sanford.
Not long after former Gov. Mark Sanford announced he would consider running for his old seat in Congress, his ex-wife, Jenny Sanford, announced she's also considering a run for the same office. Sanford, who held the seat two decades ago before becoming governor, announced he was "studying" a run for the seat, which will be vacated by Rep. Tim Scott, who has been appointed to fill the seat being vacated by U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint. Jenny Sanford, who lives on Sullivan's Island, was on Gov. Nikki Haley's short list to replace DeMint, told CQ Roll Call that she's also pondering a run. “I have already had calls from people offering to help should I choose to run, and I will speak with my family about that possibility over the holidays," Sanford …
stanley seigler
11:32 am on Friday, May 10, 2013
@Anna re: kept tight reins on the budget and spending... by state law the budget has to be balanced so budget reins irrelavent...ie all govs have to balance budget... an iidication of the hiker tight reins would be how much SC debt under his term...anyone know? FYI: current SC debt is $37.1B; current revenue is $34.8B; current spending is $42.5B...SC spending more that it has...(debt clock: http… more ›