Mark Sanford facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mark Sanford
115th Governor of South Carolina
In office January 15, 2003 – January 12, 2011
Lieutenant	André Bauer
Preceded by	Jim Hodges
Succeeded by	Nikki Haley
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina's 1st district
In office May 15, 2013 – January 3, 2019
Preceded by	Tim Scott
Succeeded by	Joe Cunningham
In office January 3, 1995 – January 3, 2001
Preceded by	Arthur Ravenel
Succeeded by	Henry Brown
Personal details
Born	Marshall Clement Sanford Jr. (1960-05-28) May 28, 1960 (age 65) Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
Political party	Republican
Spouse	Jennifer Sullivan ​ ​ (m. 1989; div. 2010)​
Children	4
Education	Furman University (BA) University of Virginia (MBA)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	United States
Branch/service	United States Air Force
Years of service	2003–2013
Rank	Captain
Unit	315th Airlift Wing 315th Aeromedical Evacuation Squadron Charleston Air Force Base Air Force Reserve Command

Marshall Clement "Mark" Sanford Jr. was born on May 28, 1960. He is an American politician and author. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Sanford served as a U.S. representative for South Carolina's 1st congressional district. He held this position from 1995 to 2001. He also served again from 2013 to 2019. From 2003 to 2011, he was the 115th governor of South Carolina.

He first won a seat in Congress in 1994. After three terms, he decided not to run again. Instead, he ran for governor in 2002. He won against the Democratic governor, Jim Hodges. He was re-elected as governor in 2006.

As governor, Sanford tried to refuse federal money for South Carolina. This money was part of a plan to help the economy. However, the state's highest court said only the legislature could decide. Sanford finished his second term as governor.

In 2013, Sanford ran for Congress again. He won his old seat and served until 2019. He lost his re-election bid in 2018. In 2019, he announced he would run for president in 2020. He later dropped out of the race.

Mark Sanford's Early Life and Family

Marshall Clement Sanford Jr. was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. His father was a heart surgeon. His family moved to a large plantation in Beaufort, South Carolina before his last year of high school. Sanford also became an Eagle Scout.

He earned a degree in business from Furman University in 1983. He then received a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Virginia in 1988.

Sanford married Jenny Sullivan in 1989. They had four sons together. In 1992, Sanford started his own real estate company.

Serving in the U.S. House of Representatives (1995–2001)

First Elections to Congress

Sanford in 1999

In 1994, Sanford ran for the U.S. House of Representatives. This was for South Carolina's 1st Congressional District. The seat was open because the current representative was not running again. Sanford had never run for office before.

He won the Republican primary election. Then, he easily defeated the state representative Robert A. Barber Jr. in the general election. He won with 66.3% of the votes.

Sanford ran for re-election in 1996 and 1998. He did not face any Democratic opponents in these elections. He won easily both times.

His Time in Congress

While in Congress, Sanford was known for being very careful with government spending. He was recognized by groups that wanted to reduce the national debt. He often voted against projects that spent a lot of money. This was true even if the projects would help his own district.

He saw himself as a "citizen-legislator." This meant he believed people should serve for a limited time. Because of this, he did not run for re-election in 2000. He had promised to serve only three terms.

Committees he worked on:

• Committee on International Relations
• Committee on Government Reform
• Committee on Science
• Joint Economic Committee

Governor of South Carolina (2003–2011)

Becoming Governor in 2002

In 2002, Sanford decided to run for governor. He joined the Air Force Reserve just before announcing his campaign. He won the Republican primary election. Then, he defeated the current Democratic governor, Jim Hodges. Sanford became the 115th governor of South Carolina.

He won with 53% of the votes. For the first time since the Reconstruction Era, Republicans controlled the state government.

His First Term as Governor

In 2003, after becoming governor, Sanford attended Air Force Reserve training. He did not give his power to the lieutenant governor during this time. He said he would stay in contact with his office.

Sanford often disagreed with the South Carolina General Assembly. This was even though his own party controlled it. He tried to veto the entire state budget in 2006. He wanted to make big cuts to spending. However, the legislature voted to override his veto. This meant they kept their original budget.

Sanford also wanted to change the state's public colleges. He thought they focused too much on research. He wanted them to focus more on educating students. He suggested they combine some programs to lower tuition costs. The schools did not like this idea.

His approval ratings were between 47% and 55% in 2006.

Re-election in 2006

Sanford ran for re-election in 2006. He won the Republican primary with 65% of the vote. In the general election, he defeated state senator Tommy Moore. Sanford won with 55% of the votes.

On Election Day, Sanford had trouble voting. He did not have his voter registration card. He had to go get a new one to cast his vote.

His Second Term as Governor

Sanford disagreed with some laws passed in South Carolina. He did not sign a law about faith-based license plates. He believed that faith should be shown through how one lives.

He also strongly opposed the federal stimulus package in 2009. This plan was meant to help the economy. Sanford initially said he might not accept the money for South Carolina. Many people criticized him for this. They pointed out South Carolina's high unemployment rate.

In March 2009, Sanford formally rejected some of the federal stimulus money. He later agreed to accept the money. But he wanted the state legislature to use matching funds to pay down state debt.

Sanford encouraged Nikki Haley to run as his successor. He campaigned to help her win.

Efforts to Remove Him

In August 2009, some state representatives met with Sanford. They told him the legislature might try to remove him if he did not resign. Sanford refused to resign.

Lawmakers began preparing to start the process to remove him. However, in December 2009, a committee voted against removing him. They said it was not serious enough to "overturn an election."

Official Criticism

On December 15, 2009, a committee voted to officially criticize Sanford. The full South Carolina House of Representatives approved this in January 2010.

Veto Record

During his time as governor, Sanford vetoed 278 bills. The legislature overrode 213 of these vetoes. This means they voted to pass the bills anyway.

Time Away from Politics (2011–2012)

Then-Governor Mark Sanford speaking at an event in September 2010.

After his term as governor ended in January 2011, Sanford moved to his family farm. Later, he moved to a home in Charleston, South Carolina. He described this time as very peaceful. He developed a mix of Buddhist and Christian ideas in his life. He focused on daily quiet time and being mindful.

In October 2011, he started working as a political contributor for Fox News Channel.

Back in the U.S. House of Representatives (2013–2019)

Special Election in 2013

In December 2012, Sanford considered running for his old congressional seat. The previous representative, Tim Scott, had been appointed to the U.S. Senate. Sanford confirmed he would run in 2013.

He quickly became a leading candidate. On April 2, 2013, Sanford won the Republican primary runoff election.

Sanford received support from many political figures. These included South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and former U.S. Representative Ron Paul. On May 7, 2013, Sanford was elected back to the U.S. House of Representatives. He won with 54.04% of the vote.

Later Elections

Sanford ran unopposed for re-election in 2014.

In 2016, he won the Republican primary again. He then won the general election with 58.56% of the vote.

In 2018, President Donald Trump criticized Sanford on Twitter. Trump also supported Katie Arrington, who ran against Sanford. Arrington defeated Sanford in the Republican primary. Sanford became the second Republican to lose his re-election in the House in 2018.

After his loss, The New York Times said that being loyal to President Trump was more important than a conservative voting record. In November 2018, Democrat Joe Cunningham was elected as Sanford's successor.

His Work in Congress

Sanford was sworn into office on May 15, 2013.

In 2014, he introduced a bill to review how the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) classifies its employees. He said that some employees were being paid more for jobs they were not doing. He believed his bill would save the government money.

Sanford supported Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. However, he later became a critic of Trump. He spoke out against Trump's executive order to temporarily limit Muslim immigration. He also signed a letter asking Congress to request Trump's tax returns. Despite this, he voted with Trump's positions "89 percent of the time." He also supported Trump's idea of building a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

In May 2017, Sanford voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare). He also voted to pass the American Health Care Act.

Committees he worked on:

• Committee on the Budget
• Committee on Homeland Security
  • Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Communications
  • Subcommittee on Transportation Security
• Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
  • Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation
  • Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management
  • Subcommittee on Water Resources and Environment

Groups he was part of:

• Liberty Caucus
• Freedom Caucus
• Republican Study Committee
• United States Congressional International Conservation Caucus
• Climate Solutions Caucus

Involvement in Presidential Elections

2008 Election

Some people thought Sanford might run for president in 2008. He said he would not run. He also said his re-election bid for governor would be his last campaign.

After the Super Tuesday primaries in 2008, some thought he might be a running mate for John McCain. Sanford publicly supported McCain.

Sanford wrote an article about Barack Obama in 2008. He said he would not vote for Obama. But he also noted the historical importance of Obama's early success. He advised voters not to vote for or against Obama based on his race.

2012 Election

There was talk that Sanford might run for president in 2012. Online groups supported a Sanford campaign. He was elected Chairman of the Republican Governors Association in 2008. He was also called one of the "rising stars" in the Republican Party.

In 2009, Sanford did not rule out a presidential bid. However, in 2010, he stated clearly that he was "not running for president." He said he would enter the private sector after his term as governor.

2016 Election

Sanford supported Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election.

2020 Presidential Campaign

In July 2019, Sanford said he was thinking about challenging Trump for president in 2020. He was concerned about the nation's finances. He formally launched his campaign on September 8, 2019. He announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination on Fox News Sunday.

On November 12, 2019, Sanford announced he was ending his campaign.

Election History

Mark Sanford has participated in many elections throughout his political career. Here are some of his key election results:

• 1994 U.S. House Election: Sanford won with 66% of the vote.
• 1996 U.S. House Election: Sanford won with 96% of the vote.
• 1998 U.S. House Election: Sanford won with 91% of the vote.
• 2002 South Carolina Gubernatorial Election: Sanford won with 52.9% of the vote.
• 2006 South Carolina Gubernatorial Election: Sanford won re-election with 55.1% of the vote.
• 2013 U.S. House Special Election: Sanford won with 54.03% of the vote.
• 2014 U.S. House Election: Sanford won with 93.4% of the vote (unopposed by major party).
• 2016 U.S. House Election: Sanford won with 58.6% of the vote.
• 2018 U.S. House Republican Primary: Sanford lost with 46.5% of the vote to Katie Arrington.