Candidate Profile Six - Mark Sanford

Mark Sanford doesn't have the name recognition of a Powell, Rice, or Clinton, but the conservative governor of South Carolina has some other compensating qualities: he's relatively young, his conservative politics fit in well with the national mood at the moment, and there is a precedent for Southern governors winning nationally. A correspondent suggested I look at Sanford, and here's what I found.

Marshall Clement Sanford, Jr. - Official Biography

Unofficial 'Draft Sanford' site

Resume: South Carolina's 115th governor; former U.S. Congressman for South Carolina's 1st Congressional District; current Air Force Reservist

There's a lot to like about Sanford:

• He's a fiscal conservative, undoubtably Bush's weak point (though we Republicans tend to give Bush a pass on this because of 9/11, we must recognize that we have to control spending at some point). Sanford imposed major cost-cutting upon assuming the Governor's Office; when all but one of his 106 spending cuts were vetoed by the SC legislature, he strode into the statehouse with a live pig under each arm to symbolize the pork in the budget.
• He kept his word. When campaigning for Congress, Sanford said he would serve no more than three terms; at the end of his third term, he left.
• He's a tax cutter, preferring to control government growth through reduced spending. Steven Slivinski of the libertarian Cato Institute calls Sanford's proposed tax cuts the most agressive in the nation.

Do I agree with every position of his? Of course not. He voted in 1998 against abolishing race-based preferences in college admissions - I much prefer preferences based on economic factors. Does he have a shot? Alexander McClure at the excellent PoliPundit.com (hat tip to Country Fried) had this to say:

Very popular with mavericks and conservatives, Sanford comes from one of the reddest of red states, but he represents the New South. With his warm personality, Sanford could be just the candidate the GOP needs in 2008 to defeat the Democratic nominee, whom if past history is correct, will be extremely unlikable.

On the flip side, the great Ken Mehlman didn't mention Sanford when he recently tossed out eight possible GOP candidates in 2008.

Sanford will probably give it a shot, if the money and interest are there. How far he would take it if, say, McCain or Guiliani are running, is anybody's guess. He's young enough, smart enough, and conservative enough to be around for a while.

CURRENT ODDS: 12-1

UPDATE 01/10/05 7:39 pm central: Sanford's getting some good buzz. I'm upping him a notch.

CURRENT ODDS: 11-1

UPDATE 04/07/05 10:56 am central: Downgrade after Sanford 'rules out' '08 run.

CURRENT ODDS: 18-1

UPDATE 07/24/2005 10:56 p.m.:

CURRENT ODDS: 16-1: see here...