Mark Sanford performs his own political autopsy. Cause of death: Tweet by Trump.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 13 June 2018

Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) will not exactly be writing his own version of What Happened following his bruising loss to Katie Arrington in South Carolina's GOP primary on Tuesday. Sanford told The Washington Post that he blames a tweet by President Trump for his losing re-election bid. Other Republicans running for office "don't want the tweet I got last night," said Sanford, who has long been an outspoken critic of the president.

Just three hours before the polls closed in South Carolina, Trump tweeted: "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." Sanford, whose 2009 extramarital affair with a woman in Buenos Aires nearly tanked his political career, had never before lost an election until conceding to Arrington on Tuesday.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.

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