Rep. Mark Sanford (R) concedes defeat in South Carolina GOP primary
Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) has lost a political race for the first time, all but conceding Tuesday's Republican primary to challenger Katie Arrington, a state legislator President Trump had endorsed in a tweet Tuesday afternoon. Even before The Associated Press projected that Arrington would win outright, Sanford told supporters Tuesday night, "I think that I'll end up losing this election." Sanford would be the second GOP incumbent unseated in primaries this year, after Rep. Robert Pittenger (R-N.C.).
Sanford, a fiscal conservative and member of the House Freedom Caucus first elected to Congress in 1994, also served two terms as governor, though he admitted in 2009 to secretly traveling to Argentina for an extramarital affair — a scandal Trump alluded to in his tweet: "Mark Sanford has been very unhelpful to me in my campaign to MAGA. He is MIA and nothing but trouble. He is better off in Argentina." Arrington will face Democrat Joe Cunningham, a lawyer and political novice, in a district Trump won in 2016 with 53.5 percent of the vote.
Trump's tweet did not push South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster (R) over the finish line. He got less than 50 percent of the vote in Tuesday's GOP gubernatorial primary and will face Greenville businessman John Warren in a June 26 runoff election.
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.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
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.
-
‘Lumpy skin’ protests intensify across France as farmers fight cullIN THE SPOTLIGHT A bovine outbreak coupled with ongoing governmental frustrations is causing major problems for French civil society
-
The best books of 2025The Week Recommends A deep dive into the site of a mass shooting, a new release from the author of ‘Atonement’ and more
-
Inside Minnesota’s extensive fraud schemesThe Explainer The fraud allegedly goes back to the Covid-19 pandemic
-
Trump HHS moves to end care for trans youthSpeed Read The administration is making sweeping proposals that would eliminate gender-affirming care for Americans under age 18
-
Jack Smith tells House of ‘proof’ of Trump’s crimesSpeed Read President Donald Trump ‘engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election,’ hoarded classified documents and ‘repeatedly tried to obstruct justice’
-
House GOP revolt forces vote on ACA subsidiesSpeed Read The new health care bill would lower some costs but not extend expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies
-
Hegseth rejects release of full boat strike footageSpeed Read There are calls to release video of the military killing two survivors of a Sept. 2 missile strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat
-
Trump vows naval blockade of most Venezuelan oilSpeed Read The announcement further escalates pressure on President Nicolás Maduro
-
Kushner drops Trump hotel project in SerbiaSpeed Read Affinity Partners pulled out of a deal to finance a Trump-branded development in Belgrade
-
Senate votes down ACA subsidies, GOP alternativeSpeed Read The Senate rejected the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, guaranteeing a steep rise in health care costs for millions of Americans
-
Abrego García freed from jail on judge’s orderSpeed Read The wrongfully deported man has been released from an ICE detention center
