Send Governor Mark Sanford to the United States Senate

Mark Sanford.

Lindsey Graham’s untimely death has left South Carolina with an unexpected void in our delegation at a most inopportune time. Twelve candidates have filed for this seat, and if you listen to the kickoff speeches, most everybody mentioned spending and affordability. That’s an easy thing to talk about in an election year, but it’s much harder to stand up for this position while governing.

Throughout former Governor Mark Sanford’s time in office, he demonstrated that he was a relentless advocate for our wallets, as well as the interests of the Lowcountry. As governor, he vetoed more spending than any governor in modern S.C. history — enough that CATO ranked Sanford the most fiscally conservative governor in the country. He built our state’s first zero-based budget, and shrank the general fund in real terms, the only two-term governor in a hundred years to do so.

In Congress, Sanford was in the class of 1994, which proved to be part of the formula that produced the only three balanced budgets passed in the last 50 years. In 2015 he was one of the few who voted no on the Bipartisan Budget Act because it hitched a debt ceiling increase to a bigger spending deal, and he wasn’t going to pretend that was fine just because leadership wanted it done quietly. Recognizing this commitment to the nation’s financial health, the National Taxpayers Union put Sanford at the top of the fiscal rankings.

These things are important because the situation that we are in right now demands a return to financial responsibility. The national debt clock passed $39,724,000,000,000 this month. That works out to more than $118,000 for every man, woman and child in this country, with another $7.2 billion piling on every single day. Our future generations didn’t run up that tab, but they’re the ones who’ll be handed the bill.

Sanford has long believed that being conservative should apply to more than just financial resources, but to natural resources as well. While in office, he was diligent in preserving the look and feel of the Lowcountry that so many of us grew up in, and that so many more have grown to appreciate. When Sanford was governor, he stood in the breach; when others spoke of defunding the conservation bank, Sanford supported it and went on to conserve more acreage than any governor prior to him. He, as a sportsman and landowner, knows the importance of conservation and does not consider it a cute sound bite.

Sanford has only two weeks to make a case that usually takes months. However, we believe his track record makes the case for him: his insistence that government spends responsibly and his dedication to preserving the Palmetto State’s pristine beauty. Sanford’s advocacy for responsible stewardship of our financial and natural resources on our behalf is unmatched and has been tested in the governor’s office and in Congress. S.C.’s next senator must be ready to get us back on track and keep the American Dream alive. Mark Sanford’s proven stewardship of our tax dollars and his focus on our economy and the wasteful spending in Washington are just some of the reasons we are endorsing him for U.S. Senate.