Elections, South Carolina | featured news

From the Appalachian trail to the campaign trail, former Governor Mark Sanford is back on the grid. After defeating Curtis Bostic in the GOP primary runoff on Tuesday, 57% to 43%, Sanford should be the favorite to win the vacated congressional seat in South Carolina first district. The district has become heavily Republican.

Former South Carolina governor Mark Sanford vowed Wednesday to define Democratic rival Elizabeth Colbert Busch, saying the only thing voters know is that she's the sister of comedian Stephen Colbert. "She's not held office," Sanford said in an MSNBC interview. "Stephen Colbert's a very popular, you know, well-regarded comedian but at the end of the day he's not on the ticket."

Former South Carolina governor Mark Sanford reportedly asked his ex-wife to manage his campaign for Congress, just as she had when he first ran for the U.S. House in 1994 during happier times. In a New York magazine story, the disgraced Republican who tearfully admitted on national TV that he had an extramarital affair not only went to Jenny Sanford asking for her blessing to re-enter politics, he also had a proposal to join forces again.

With the potential to crush the juiciest of “Divorce Court” episodes, former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford and ex-wife Jenny could soon face off for an open congressional seat.

The Justice Department has blocked a new law in Texas requiring voters to show a photo ID, saying that it disproportionately harms Hispanic residents. The action is the second time in three months that the Obama administration has blocked a state voter ID law. In December, the Justice Department struck down South Carolina’s new law requiring photo identification at the polls, saying it discriminated against minority voters.

As South Carolina Republicans begin voting in the first primary of the south today, GOP insiders say that all the candidates have had their problems in Palmetto State, one reason why today's outcome has been so hard to predict.