Report: Mark Sanford (R-SC) Considering Primary Challenge to Trump
Sanford: “Sometimes in life you’ve got to say what you’ve got to say, whether there’s an audience or not for that message”
Disgraced former South Carolina governor and former Rep. Mark Sanford (R-SC) is reportedly considering a 2020 primary challenge to President Trump.
Sanford lost his House seat in 2018 when his anti-Trump reelection campaign faltered and he lost the GOP primary to state Rep. Katie Arrington. She ended up losing in the general.
At that time, Kemberlee blogged:
Sanford spent three months running a hard anti-Trump campaign while Arrington hired a Trump campaign advisor and ran as a candidate who supports the president’s agenda.
From Politico:
Sanford, long known for wearing his emotions openly and speaking his mind, has been one of the most high-profile Republican Trump critics in Congress. He’s called the president’s tariffs on steel and aluminum “an experiment with stupidity.” He’s called Trump’s disparaging remarks about Haiti and African nations “something stupid.” He’s said that Trump has done some “weird stuff” in office.
During the 2016 campaign, Sanford said Trump should “just shut up” and stop focusing so much on his critics. He’s said that the president was “partially” to blame for the toxic rhetoric that led to the shooting of House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.). He’s said that “trading slights seems essential” to Trump’s personality, and he gave an extensive interview to POLITICO Magazine in which he said the president had “fanned the flames of intolerance.”
And yes, this is the same Sanford who, while Governor of South Carolina, got caught galavanting through South America with his Argentinian mistress, ending his marriage and Governorship. He later broke up with his mistress turned fiance in a public Facebook post. She claimed she learned of the breakup from the press.
And now Sanford’s reportedly giving serious thought to running for president. It seems surreal, but here’s the report from The Post and Courier:
Almost a year after President Donald Trump urged voters to reject Mark Sanford, the former South Carolina congressman is considering a Republican presidential run of his own against Trump in 2020.
Sanford, in an interview Tuesday with The Post and Courier, confirmed he will take the next month to formulate a potential run against Trump as a way of pushing a national debate about America’s mounting debt, deficit and government spending.
He would run as a Republican.
“Sometimes in life you’ve got to say what you’ve got to say, whether there’s an audience or not for that message,” Sanford said. “I feel convicted.”
Convicted? Is he saying he’s driven by his “convictions” to say what he has to say (even if no one is listening)? Or referencing his humiliating primary loss? Or hearkening back to the fallout from his tossing away his marriage and his governorship for his “soulmate” whom he later ditched via Facebook?
Anyway, moving along past that weird word choice, South Carolina Republicans are less than thrilled at the prospect of a Sanford presidential campaign to primary the sitting president.
The Post and Courier continues:
If he does get in the race, Sanford faces mammoth odds against getting any traction within the Republican Party. Hours after news broke of Sanford’s possible presidential bid, he faced blunt condemnation from his own South Carolina Republican Party.
“The last time Mark Sanford had an idea this dumb, it killed his Governorship. This makes about as much sense as that trip up the Appalachian Trail,” S.C. GOP Chairman Drew McKissick said in an emailed statement. [link added for clarity] The comment was later shared on the S.C. GOP Twitter account, which features a banner image of a Trump-Pence campaign logo.
Watch Sanford explain why he’s considering running against the president:
If Sanford does decide to run against Trump, he will face an uphill battle to primary a president who is very popular with his base. Trump is so popular, in fact, that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) refuses to consider bowing to her party’s immense pressure to impeach.
At this time, and in case you’ve forgotten, the only declared primary challenger is former Massachusetts governor Bill Weld (R).
[Featured image via YouTube]
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“Sometimes in life you’ve got to say what you’ve got to say, whether there’s an audience or not for that message,” Sanford said. “I feel convicted.”
Based on Sanford’s premise, I say this to him: STFU and go away. You are a halfwit, a clown, and a fool, and you have nothing to offer in the political arena.
The only people that will give him money to relate his “message” are people that hate Trump and want to cause problems. No one with serious convictions would ever trust him to be a representative voice.
I guess Mark thinks we have forgotten how he cheated on his dying wife, so she had to spend her final days in disgrace from his running off to Brazil with some bimbo.
How much “Money” is the Uni-Party paying him for this stunt?
I can’t stand Sanford, but what are you talking about? His ex-wife isn’t dead, or sick. She got remarried last year. Are you confusing him with former democrat presidential candidate John Edwards?
What is it with these politicians and their complete and utter lack of shame? This guy is a disgrace and he should shut his mouth and go hide under a rock somewhere. Nobody cares what you have to say, go away already.
The “utter lack of shame” nails it. It would be really easy to make fun of Sanford, but what’s really going on is just so tired and sad. He’s an unemployed grifter now, nothing more, and he’s playing the game of “I’ll bet I can get some rich NeverTrumpers like Omidyar and his pals to give me a bunch of money, and all I gotta do is pretend to run a campaign!”
and after the campaign folds, he’ll find a way to convert it all to pay off his “personal debts”, and he’ll have cashed in.
Methinks they be “psychopaths,” no??????????
I say, bring’em on. First, it will suck donation dollars out of the never-Trumper and Dem pocketbooks well before the national election campaign, since they will be the only ones supporting these Republican primary challengers. Second, it will give Trump more free airtime and take airtime away from the 20+ Dem candidates who desperately need it.
Gee, with all the twitter fest I forgot that there were Socialist-Democrats participating in a primary campaign. So did most of the MSM. He he he.
He knows he don’t stand a chance.
But he also knows there are nevertrumpers out there that will donate money. That’s what he is after.
So the GOP version of The Squad is assembling to once again circle the wagons around the Dems when they get in trouble. So we have Romney, Kasich, Weld, Amash, and now Sanford. Gluttons for punishment. They keep coming at Trump with nothing.
What exactly do they expect to happen? Are they just testing the waters out of desperation hoping that one of them will catch fire and evolve into a 3rd party threat? Trump is bigger than life and delivering. Against his charisma and popularity, they offer yet another corrupt Stanley Beamish squish?
Oberlin isn’t the only one that is need of an intervention. The GOP is tanking as fast as the Dems and for the same reasons. Maybe they could join the winning team and fight for America?
Methinks what the never-Trumpers are doing is the
illustration in the dictionary of “insane.”
“Maybe they could join the winning team and fight for America?”
They would rather die first.
Subotai Bahadur
What he should do is challenge James “Foghorn” Clyburne for a seat in Congress.
While Mark Sanford will never represent the people of South Carolina, neither does Foghorn.
Mark Sanford, hardly a paragon of ethics. You shamed yourself Mark, you were lucky to get this gig in Congress – shut up and line up behind the President.
He’s not in Congress anymore.
What a maroon!
I always love those guys who can’t get elected dogcatcher in their home state and locality thinks, “Well, if I only increased my scope to the world, the world will love me.” We have seen this from Rick Santorum, Bill Weld, Mike Gravel, Jeff Flake, and now this guy. Just go back under the rock you crawled out from under…
At least the dog catcher provides a useful service.
I wonder how many trips he made to Epstein’s Island.
And yes, this is the same Sanford who, while Governor of South Carolina, got caught galavanting through South America with his Argentinian mistress, ending his marriage and Governorship. He later broke up with his mistress turned fiance in a public Facebook post. She claimed she learned of the breakup from the press.
I remember this guy: what a fool, what an idiot, what a hypocrite. Oh … I forgot liar.
I also think he is in need of a paycheck. He was on the steps of the SC State house in 2009 addressing the Tax day TEA party crowd. A year later he lied to us while having an affair behind Jenny’s back. I remember his syunt with the pigs on the SC Stae house floor during a general session……he is merely an attention seeker that will use any means necessary to get the spotlight. Strangely, the same ones that are gushing over him now despised him and the ground he trod 10 years ago…….but “orange man bad”
He will end up disappearing….oh. He already did that.
So he…..wants to give the Dems a chance in 2020? Because that’s all this nonsense would accomplish.
Mark Who????
Lol lol lol lol
It’s about the Benjamin’s
Always follow the money.
Bill Kristol, romney, corker, flake are lining up. At least he’ll have 4 votes.
At least John Kasich’s father was a mailman. Sanford doesn’t even have that going for him.
Well hell, the DC is only about 50 miles off the Appalachian Trail.
No! Not Mr. GOPe rat!
Hey Mark, Uh Huh, reliving those glory days?
Hey Mark, take a hike!
Who? Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha.
Sod off swampy. Good luck with that “challenge”. But then some politicians are mentally challenged.