Mark Sanford, a former governor and congressman of South Carolina whose political career was damaged by a high-profile affair, is facing four other candidates in a special Republican Senate primary election to succeed Senator Lindsey Graham, who died last month.
Here are five things to know about Mr. Sanford.
1. He is no stranger to setbacks or comebacks. Mr. Sanford, 66, was considered a possible candidate for president in 2012 until he vanished without explanation in 2009, famously leaving his staff to tell reporters that he was hiking the Appalachian Trail. In fact, he was in the midst of an extramarital affair with a woman in Argentina. Four years later, he was elected to Congress. Since then, he launched a bid for president and filed to run for his old House seat, but he abandoned both efforts before votes were cast.
2. President Trump is not a fan. A staunch fiscal conservative, Mr. Sanford repeatedly broke with Mr. Trump on government spending, among other issues, during his last stint in Congress. As a result, Mr. Trump backed his primary election opponent in 2018, which led to Mr. Sanford’s ouster. A year later, Mr. Sanford briefly challenged Mr. Trump for the Republican presidential nomination.
3. He is pitching himself as a businessman focused on the national debt — including by giving a news conference with a pair of pigs he called “Debt” and “Deficit.” In past elections, Mr. Sanford has acknowledged that South Carolina Republicans were not in the mood for a candidate focused on fiscal conservatism. He is betting this time will be different.
4. He is widely known in South Carolina. Name recognition is an important factor in a primary election that lasted only about a month, and most people in the state know Mr. Sanford. In addition to his time as a governor, congressman and many stints as a candidate, he has prioritized private conversations with constituents and readily handed out his phone number.
5. He’s been driving around the state in a pickup on a barnstorming tour he has called the “Mama I Can’t Afford a New Truck Tour.” The tour has focused on the rising cost of everyday life.
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