Sanford Scandal Divides SC Republicans

Andre Bauer refuses to back off remarks about welfare recipients

(NEWSER) - Mark Sanford is no longer the most embarrassing politician in South Carolina: His lieutenant governor, Andre Bauer, is in hot water after comparing government assistance for the poor to "feeding stray animals." Said Bauer, who is running to succeed Sanford as governor: "You're facilitating the problem if you give an animal or a person ample food supply. They will reproduce, especially ones that don't think too much further than that." More»

(AP) - South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford rebuffed his lieutenant governor's call to resign today, two months after he admitted an affair, saying he will not be "railroaded" out of office and plans to finish his term. At a news conference hours after Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer called for him to step down, Sanford said the people of South Carolina want to move past the scandals. More»

(NEWSER) - The heat gets turned up on Mark Sanford today: His own lieutenant governor will ask him to resign, the State reports. Andre Bauer plans to make the request in both a news conference and in a personal letter to the embattled South Carolina governor. Bauer says he would serve out Sanford's term but would not run for re-election in 2010, a key sticking point in state politics. More»

Four tricks up his sleeve to win back the public

(NEWSER) - Mark Sanford has fallen from grace, but he possesses the know-how to make his way back, writes Roger Simon of Politico. What the philandering governor has going for him:

• "He knows how to use people." Just look at his marriage: His wife ran his campaign in 1994, when they had two children under 2, and he paid her back “by betraying and humiliating her.”

(NEWSER) - Jenny Sanford doesn’t much care what political fate befalls her cheating husband, CNN reports. “His career is not a concern of mine,” South Carolina's first lady told reporters as she left the family’s vacation home. “He’s going to have to worry about that. I’m worried about my family and the character of my children.” She also said that she’d be fine whether she and the footloose governor split up or not. More»