Will dirty tricks send Mark Sanford to Congress?
As the GOP warms up to the flailing South Carolina ex-governor, somebody's smearing Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch
On May 7, voters in South Carolina's first congressional district go to the polls for a special election to fill an empty House seat. The district is pretty heavily Republican, but things haven't been going so well for the GOP candidate in the race, former Gov. Mark Sanford. The latest public poll, from PPP, showed Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch beating him by 9 points, 50 percent to 41 percent.
Sanford is now accusing "Nancy Pelosi and her allies" of spending more than $1 million to defeat him, says Dana Milbank at The Washington Post. And in a way, he's right to be indignant: "It is outrageous that Democrats would engage in such reckless and irresponsible spending to defeat him. Sanford was perfectly capable of defeating himself." Here's an incomplete rundown of things Sanford has done to sabotage his campaign since winning the GOP primary in March:
- Introduced his sons to his Argentine former mistress (now fiancée) on stage at his GOP-primary victory party
- Admitted to trespassing at his much-more-popular ex-wife's house, losing him financial support of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC)
- Publicly debated a cardboard cutout of Pelosi
- Played deaf at his one debate with Colbert Busch, when she brought up his Argentina dalliance
- Took out a newspaper ad giving voters his cell phone number and comparing his campaign to the Alamo (but getting the date wrong by 27 years)
Another sign that "Republicans are deeply worried about the race," says Steve Benen at MSNBC, is that somebody is paying a Connecticut polling firm to conduct what looks a lot like a "direct-to-voter smear campaign" masquerading as a message-testing poll. Think Progress heard from a few South Carolina voters who got calls from a group identifying itself as "SSI Polling," asking a bunch of "highly misleading" questions. A sampling:
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
No one is claiming that any of these charges are true. Connecticut's Survey Sampling International admits to making what it calls "messaging testing" polls in the race, on behalf of an unidentified third party, but denies that it engaged in "push polling." Well, this sure seems to fit right in with South Carolina's "long history of dealing with sexualized smear tactics," says Amanda Marcotte at Slate:
There's no indication that Sanford is behind the sketchy calls, and he's aware of South Carolina's reputation. In fact, he sees a billboard from stunt-prone extramarital-dating site AshleyMadison.com in the same light Colbert Busch's supporters view the phone calls. "South Carolina is the land of strange politics and in essence, dirty political tricks," Sanford local TV station WCSC. The AshleyMadison billboard with his face on it is "in that category."
Still, things are looking up for Sanford, says Sean Lengell at The Washington Times. "After giving Mark Sanford the cold shoulder for months, the Republican establishment slowly is warming to the former governor's campaign." The NRCC still isn't putting money in the race, "but newfound support from within the party — including the endorsements this week from the state's two Republican senators — has given the sagging Sanford campaign a boost," says Lengell. Other lawmakers adding late endorsements include Gov. Nikki Haley (R), Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), and his father, former Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas).
The race is "a real tossup," College of Charleston political scientist Gibbs Knotts tells Reuters. But it's a real testament to Colbert Busch's skill and Sanford's ineptitude that a Democrat is even competitive in this election. Colbert Busch is campaigning as a jobs- and education-focused fiscal conservative, but Sanford's foibles have dominated the race, crowding out the issues — which should be a strong point for the Republicans in the conservative district. "The focus on personalities appears to have played out in favor of Colbert Busch," says Reuters' Harriet McLeod, and that may be enough to push her over the edge on May 7.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
'Republicans want to silence Israel's opponents'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Harold Maass, The Week US Published
-
Poland, Germany nab alleged anti-Ukraine spies
Speed Read A man was arrested over a supposed Russian plot to kill Ukrainian President Zelenskyy
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Today's political cartoons - April 19, 2024
Cartoons Friday's cartoons - priority delivery, USPS on fire, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Arizona court reinstates 1864 abortion ban
Speed Read The law makes all abortions illegal in the state except to save the mother's life
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Trump, billions richer, is selling Bibles
Speed Read The former president is hawking a $60 "God Bless the USA Bible"
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
The debate about Biden's age and mental fitness
In Depth Some critics argue Biden is too old to run again. Does the argument have merit?
By Grayson Quay Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
Henry Kissinger dies aged 100: a complicated legacy?
Talking Point Top US diplomat and Nobel Peace Prize winner remembered as both foreign policy genius and war criminal
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Last updated
-
Trump’s rhetoric: a shift to 'straight-up Nazi talk'
Why everyone's talking about Would-be president's sinister language is backed by an incendiary policy agenda, say commentators
By The Week UK Published
-
More covfefe: is the world ready for a second Donald Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question Republican's re-election would be a 'nightmare' scenario for Europe, Ukraine and the West
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published