Sanford to Wife: Let Me Have This Affair

Some think she'll run for office in South Carolina

(NEWSER) - Jenny Sanford continues to write the book on how a jilted political wife can emerge stronger. South Carolina's first lady, who moved out of the governor's mansion in August after husband Mark's affair, has trademarked her name for a possible clothing and gift line, reports the New York Times . She's also got a memoir coming out in April and will be interviewed by Barbara Walters next month as one of the year's "fascinating people." More»

Civil committee slams SC gov for travel expenses

(NEWSER) - South Carolina's ethics commission has hit Mark Sanford with 37 violations for using state funds for inappropriate travel expenses, including a trip to see his Argentine mistress. Besides the governor's South American trysts, Sanford also bought business-class tickets for state travel—South Carolina requires officials to fly cheaply—and, in nine instances, used state aircraft for personal trips. A hearing on the ethics violations will start early next year, the State reports. More»

Influential first lady could give crucial boost to Nikki Haley

(NEWSER) - Jenny Sanford is getting back into politics—by endorsing a relative underdog in the South Carolina Republican gubernatorial primary. Mark Sanford's estranged wife announced her support for Nikki Haley, a "principled, conservative, tough and smart” candidate, in the five-way race for the nomination to replace her husband. Haley was a strong ally of Mark Sanford's but has distanced herself from the governor since the scandal surrounding his extramarital affair. More»

(NEWSER) - The wife of South Carolina's philandering governor is moving out and taking the kids, the State reports. “I have decided to move back to our home in Charleston with our sons for the upcoming school year,” Mark Sanford's wife, Jenny, said in a statement released today. The governor released a statement that reads in part: "I stand by this family decision." The Sanfords have four sons. More»

Commerce secretary didn't know where to reach guv

(NEWSER) - Mark Sanford’s recent Argentine excursion wasn’t the first time he had gone missing: His commerce secretary didn’t know where to reach him in June 2008, either, emails reveal. “Need contact number for (Sanford) ASAP,” the secretary wrote to a Sanford staffer on the 28th—a day the South Carolina governor saw his lover, he has since admitted. The email was part of 3,300 pages of communications released to the State. More»