National Republicans abandoned former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford this week, opting not to support his bid for Congress after it was revealed that he would head to court two days after the election to face a trespassing charge from his ex-wife.
Now, one conservative group is considering a write-in campaign to put his ex-wife, Jenny Sanford, in office instead of him.
The Concerned Women for America PAC announced Thursday that it is considering launching the write-in campaign.
“Colbert Busch’s view on same-sex ‘marriage’ and abortion are out of sync with South Carolina’s more conservative voters, and Sanford’s candidacy is flawed, obviously,” said CWAPAC president Penny Nance. “Character counts. And the people of South Carolina have no good options right now.”
“We are only considering it … but I have to say, ‘Congresswoman Jenny Sanford’ has a nice ring to it,” she added.
On Wednesday, the National Republican Congressional Committee said it would not be supporting the former governor in his bid, after it was reported that he had trespassed at his ex-wife’s house, and that she was pressing charges.
He is due to appear in court two days after the May 7 special election. The NRCC was reportedly blindsided by the report. Sanford’s political history includes the scandal that surrounded him when, as governor, he confessed to having an affair with an Argentine woman.
The campaign, Nance said, is dependent on whether there would be local support for Jenny Sanford.
Jenny Sanford was initially considering a run for the open congressional seat, herself, but opted not to run. The seat became open when Rep. Tim Scott was appointed to the Senate to replace former Sen. Jim DeMint, who resigned to become president of the conservative Heritage Foundation in December.
In December, before Gov. Nikki Haley appointed anyone to DeMint’s seat, a Public Policy Polling poll found that Jenny Sanford was among voters’ top choices to become the new Senator. She boasted a 44 percent favorability rating, and just 25 people said they had an unfavorable view of her. Her ex-husband, by contrast, was viewed favorably by just 30 percent of voters, and unfavorably by 53 percent.
Mark Sanford faces a potentially tough race against Democrat Elizabeth Colbert-Busch. After it was made public that the NRCC would not support him, national Democrats went up with a big buy to help Colbert Busch, who has already proven herself to be an adept fundraiser.