South Carolina Republican Rep. and noted hiker Mark Sanford
A few months ago, state Rep. Jenny Horne expressed interest in challenging Rep. Mark Sanford in the GOP primary, and her spokesman now says
she's going to do it. Both candidates have made national news, but in very different ways. In an
emotional speech, Horne called for the Confederate flag to be removed from the South Carolina state House grounds. Horne also recently
journeyed to Mississippi for a "change-the-flag" rally.
By contrast, Sanford attracted the world's attention in 2009 when he was serving as governor after he disappeared for several days. Sanford's staff said he was "hiking the Appalachian Trail," but he soon admitted he was really visiting his mistress in Argentina. Sanford managed to resurrect his political career in an unusual 2013 House special election. Sanford's name recognition allowed him to take first place in the GOP primary, and he defeated an underfunded opponent in the runoff. Team Blue tried to contest this 58-40 Romney seat, but Sanford won after he tied his opponent to national Democrats. Sanford faced no serious opposition for a full term.
This should be an interesting race to watch. Sanford's scandal will be seven years old by the time primary voters go to the polls; however, as we're seeing with David Vitter in the Louisiana gubernatorial race, old scandals can do some damage. Sanford starts out with $738,000 in the bank, so Horne will need to prove she can raise money. However, Horne's opposition to the Confederate flag could cause her some trouble. A recent PPP statewide poll found that Republicans still want the flag flying over the capitol grounds by a 49-39 margin, so Sanford may be able to get some mileage out of this issue. In any case, a race with Mark Sanford shouldn't be boring.