Mark Sanford Seeks Congressional Return: Candidate for South Carolina District

South Carolina Republican Mark Sanford, a former governor and congressman, has filed to run for Congress, lodging a comeback bid for his old House seat in the Palmetto State.

The field is already crowded with candidates eager to replace Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), who is leaving her seat to run for governor — with 11 Republicans and 7 Democrats so far, according to state filings. Sanford filed on the last day to enter the June 9 primary contest.

Sanford represented the Lowcountry’s 1st Congressional District from 1995 to 2001 before serving as governor from 2003 to 2011, making headlines for an affair while in the governor’s mansion.

He returned to Congress for another stint from 2013 to 2019, but lost his last House reelection bid in the Republican primary to a challenger backed by President Trump. A Democrat won the seat that cycle.

The former lawmaker, who became known for his sharp criticism of Trump, then launched a long shot bid challenging Trump for the White House in the 2020 cycle, but dropped out in 2019 after struggling to gain traction — and has been out of elected politics since.

Sanford told The Post and Courier that he is jumping back into campaigning amid concerns about government spending and economic woes, saying that “people have been telling me it’s time to get off the bleachers.”

Sanford made headlines over a recent controversy after journalist Ryan Lizza claimed that his then-fiance, fellow journalist Olivia Nuzzi, had an affair with Sanford during his 2020 presidential campaign. Sanford stayed quiet as the reports circulated.

Back in 2009, Sanford was at the center of another scandal after revelations emerged that he’d had an extramarital affair with a woman from Argentina while serving as governor.

He admitted to the affair and resigned from his position as chair of the Republican Governors Association, but declined to resign.

Cook Political Report rates the 1st Congressional District seat as solidly Republican.