The awkward reunion of Mark Sanford and the GOP

Now that Mark Sanford has won his old seat in the House by beating Elizabeth Colbert Busch in a South Carolina special election, the GOP should be thrilled, right?

Not so much. It's not that House Republicans would rather deal with a Democrat; it's just that the GOP establishment and Sanford have had a rocky relationship.

In April, the National Republican Congressional Committee cut Sanford's campaign funding under the pretense that Sanford was so politically savvy that he didn't need the NRCC's money (which, it turns out, is true). To most observers, the fact that it happened right after Sanford was accused of trespassing in his ex-wife's home — the same wife he cheated on with Argentine former TV reporter Maria Belen Chapur — indicated that the NRCC viewed Sanford as a political liability.

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Sanford's subsequent victory inspired this bit of gloating from Sen. Tom Davis (R-S.C.) on Twitter:

After Sanford's win, the NRCC released a statement that was light on compliments for Sanford and heavy on Nancy Pelosi references:

Michael Steele, former chairman of the Republican National Committee, pointed out on Twitter that their reunion might be a little awkward:

Things might also get uncomfortable when House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) swears Sanford into Congress. According to The Hill, Boehner responded to a question about whether House Republicans would embrace Sanford with "open arms" by avoiding any specific references to Sanford, instead stressing how Congressmen don't get to pick their colleagues:

Aaron Blake at The Washington Post notes that Boehner wasn't the only Republican giving Sanford the Voldemort treatment by refusing to say his name. Watch Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) awkwardly dance around the issue earlier this week:

Sanford, for his part, seems to be taking a gracious approach to rejoining his GOP colleagues, telling CBS This Morning, "Yesterday is yesterday and today is today, and I look forward to working with them."