Sanford defeats Colbert-Busch for 1st district seat
May 7, 2013
Charleston, South Carolina: Mark Sanford, the former Republican Governor of South Carolina, revived his scandal-scarred political career in the special election for the 1st District seat.[1] Sanford defeated Green Party candidate Eugene Platt and Democratic challenger Elizabeth Colbert-Busch in the general election to decide the vacant seat.
Colbert-Busch, the sister of Colbert Report host Stephen Colbert, is a college administrator and held no previous political experience prior to the election.[2][3]
Colbert-Busch had briefly led Sanford in the polls, increasing hopes among some voters that a Democrat would, for the first time in more than 30 years, represent the coastal district that includes Charleston.[2] The general election race was expected to be tough for any Democrat. The Charleston-area seat has been a Republican stronghold for decades and continues to lean Republican.[4][5] The last Democratic candidate elected was Mendel Jackson Davis in 1978.[6]
Three weeks prior to the special election, reports surfaced that Sanford’s ex-wife had filed a court complaint alleging he was in her house without permission in violation of their divorce decree, leading the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) to pull its support from the campaign.[1] Despite losing national support from the NRCC, Sanford picked up endorsements from Rand Paul, Ron Paul, South Carolina senators Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott, and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.[7][8][9][10][11][12][1]
Sanford successfully held onto his political record of having never lost a race in three runs for Congress and two for governor.[1] He replaces former Rep. Tim Scott (R), who was appointed by Gov. Nikki Haley (R) to serve out the Senate term of Jim DeMint.[13]
| U.S. House, South Carolina District 1 General Special Election, 2013 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  Mark Sanford |
54% | 77,600 | |
| Democratic | Elizabeth Colbert-Busch | 45.2% | 64,961 | |
| Green | Eugene Platt | 0.5% | 690 | |
| N/A | Write-in | 0.3% | 384 | |
| Total Votes | 143,635 | |||
| Source: South Carolina Election Board, "Official Special Election Results" | ||||
See also
|
- South Carolina's 1st Congressional District special election, 2013
- Tim Scott
- South Carolina elections, 2013
- United States House of Representatives
- South Carolina's 1st Congressional District
- United States House of Representatives elections in South Carolina, 2012
- Special elections to the 113th United States Congress (2013-2014)
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 New York Daily News, "Ex-Gov. Sanford defeats Colbert Busch in South Carolina special election" accessed May 7, 2013
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 NY Times, "Taking House Seat, Sanford Cements a Return to Politics" accessed May 7, 2013
- ↑ Huffington Post, "South Carolina Election Results 2013" accessed May 7, 2013
- ↑ MSNBC "Elizabeth Colbert Busch wedged in crowded special election race" accessed March 17, 2013
- ↑ Salon.com, "Ted Turner’s son vying in SC congressional primary," January 23, 2013
- ↑ Biographical Directory of the United States Congress, "Davis, Medel Jackson, (1942-2007)," accessed January 28, 2013
- ↑ Washington Post, "Nikki Haley to appear at Mark Sanford fundraiser" accessed April 30, 2013
- ↑ Island Packet, "Sanford, Haley speak on phone following his win in GOP runoff" accessed April 30, 2013
- ↑ Post and Courier, "Tim Scott says Mark Sanford “merits support” in 1st District race" accessed May 2, 2013
- ↑ Washington Post, "Tim Scott Endorses Mark Sanford" accessed May 2, 2013
- ↑ Washington Post, "Ron Paul Endorses Mark Sanford" accessed April 26, 2013
- ↑ The Hill, "Rand Paul endorses Mark Sanford" accessed April 30, 2013
- ↑ Washington Post, "Mark Sanford wins South Carolina special election" accessed May 7, 2013
| |||||
