Comeback Watch: Mark Sanford Wins South Carolina Primary

Stage two of Mark Sanford's political comeback is complete.

The former South Carolina governor, who ended his term tarnished by one of the most sensational political sex scandals in recent memory, has won the Republican primary to become the party's candidate for the U.S. House seat he represented in the 1990s.

Sanford bested attorney and former Charleston County Council member Curtis Bostic, The Associated Press has determined.

With 97 percent reporting, Sanford took 57 percent to Bostic's 43 percent.

Sanford will face Elizabeth Colbert Busch, the sister of Comedy Central personality Stephen Colbert, in a May 7 general election, which isn't considered a lock, despite the First District's Republican voting tradition.

It's tough to know whether this was a good, great, or mediocre night for Sanford, who enjoys near-universal recognition after serving as governor, but who topped his main GOP rival by 13 percentage points.

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Comeback Watch: Mark Sanford Wins South Carolina Primary

Stage two of Mark Sanford's political comeback is complete.

The former South Carolina governor, who ended his term tarnished by one of the most sensational political sex scandals in recent memory, has won the Republican primary to become the party's candidate for the U.S. House seat he represented in the 1990s.

Sanford bested attorney and former Charleston County Council member Curtis Bostic, The Associated Press has determined.

With 97 percent reporting, Sanford took 57 percent to Bostic's 43 percent.

Sanford will face Elizabeth Colbert Busch, the sister of Comedy Central personality Stephen Colbert, in a May 7 general election, which isn't considered a lock, despite the First District's Republican voting tradition.

It's tough to know whether this was a good, great, or mediocre night for Sanford, who enjoys near-universal recognition after serving as governor, but who topped his main GOP rival by 13 percentage points.

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View the original article here

Sanford headed for runoff in S. Carolina Republican primary: TV

By Harriet McLeod

CHARLESTON, South Carolina (Reuters) - Former Governor Mark Sanford advanced to a Republican Party runoff in a special primary election to fill one of South Carolina's seats in the U.S. House of Representatives, WCBD-TV projected on Tuesday.

The primary runoff is set for April 2.

The winner of the runoff will face Elizabeth Colbert Busch, the sister of TV comedian and political satirist Stephen Colbert, who easily won the Democratic Party nomination on Tuesday in her first run for political office.

The general election is set for May 7.

Sanford comfortably led the Republican field of candidates with 37 percent of ballots, according to results posted on official website of the State Election Commission, but not enough to avoid a runoff. It was not clear who he will face in the runoff with two other candidates tied for second place.

Colbert Busch won the Democratic contest by a landslide taking more than 95 percent of ballots cast. During the campaign she touted her experience as director of sales for a shipping line and a leader in advocating science and math education in South Carolina.

Her famous brother, host of the late night TV political comedy show, The Colbert Report, campaigned on her behalf.

Sanford says he is seeking redemption after an affair in office that ended his marriage. Sanford's wife divorced him when the affair became public in 2009, after aides said he was hiking the Appalachian Trail while he was in fact visiting Argentina.

He is now engaged to his former mistress Maria Belen Chapur, an Argentine journalist.

The congressional seat was vacated by Republican Tim Scott, who was appointed to replace Republican Jim DeMint in the U.S. Senate after he resigned in December to head the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.

The district, which was redrawn after the 2010 Census, encompasses the city of Charleston and parts of four nearby rural counties and stretches south along the coast to include wealthy Hilton Head Island.

(Editing by Dan Trotta, David Adams and Lisa Shumaker)

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