Mark Sanford

Marshall Clement "Mark" Sanford, Jr. (born May 28, 1960) is an American politician who has been governor of South Carolina since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Biography

Sanford was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and moved with his family to South Carolina as a teenager. He received a bachelor's degree from Furman University. He was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994, representing South Carolina's 1st Congressional District, and served from 1995 to 2001. While in Congress, he was an advocate for Social Security privatization and restoring U.S. trade ties with Cuba.

In 2000, he chose not to run again, in accordance with his pledge not to serve more than three terms. He then ran for governor in 2002; he first defeated Lt. Gov. Bob Peeler in the Republican primary and then defeated the Democratic incumbent, Jim Hodges, in the general election, by a margin of 53% to 47%.

Sanford has had a contentious relationship with the SC General Assembly. On May 26, 2004, the Republican-led SC House of Representatives overrode 105 of Sanford's 106 budget vetoes. The following day Sanford brought live pigs into the House chamber as a visual protest against "pork projects." The pigs proved not to be housebroken.

Sanford is a firm supporter of limited government, and many pundits have described his views as being libertarian in nature. There are several Internet-based groups trying to convince him to run for president in 2008. Most recently, he has embarked on an ambitious plan to drastically reduce state funding for public education in the form of sweetheart tax breaks for corporations that support private-school education. The plan, known as "Put Parents In Charge," would provide around $2,500 per child to parents who wished to withdraw their children from the State's public school and instead send them to religious and other private schools. Sanford has framed this plan as a necessary market-based reform.

External links

Sanford's public statements during Congressional Hearings

• Open Session On The Western Hemisphere Today: A Roundtable Discussion, Hearing Before The Subcommittee On The Western Hemisphere Of The Committee On International Relations, House Of Representatives, One Hundred Fifth Congress, First Session, March 12, 1997

• The Caribbean: An Overview Hearing Before The Subcommittee On The Western Hemisphere Of The Committee On International Relations House Of Representatives One Hundred Fifth Congress First Session May 14, 1997

• The President's Foreign Assistance Budget Request For Fiscal Year 1999 Hearing Before The Committee On International Relations House Of Representatives One Hundred Fifth Congress Second Session March 5, 1998

• Latin America And The Caribbean: An Update And Summary Of The Summit Of The Americas Hearing Before The Subcommittee On The Western Hemisphere Of The Committee On International Relations House Of Representatives One Hundred Fifth Congress Second Session May 6, 1998

• Franchise Fee Calculations Of Fort Sumter Tours, Inc. Oversight Hearing Before The Subcommittee On National Parks And Public Lands Of The Committee On Resources House Of Representatives One Hundred Sixth Congress First Session July 1, 1999, Washington, Dc Serial No. 106–44

• Reform of the IMF and the World Bank: Hearing before the Joint Economic Committee Congress of the United States, 106th Congress, Second Session, April 12, 2000 Sanford's remarks begin on page 32. 1.1 MB PDF

Sanford speeches before private groups

• The Center For National Policy: Issues in U.S.-Cuba Policy, Washington D.C., November 2000 Sanford speaks in favor of lifting U.S. embargo of Cuba. 314 KB PDF

Campaign finance links

• Leading Campaign Contributors 1993–94 Mark Sanford, R-SC PDF

Further reading

Public statements and speeches of Governor Mark Sanford

• Project Vote Smart: Governor Mark Sanford (2003–2005)

Search for Mark Sanford statements in the Congressional Record via Thomas.gov

• 106th Congress (1999–2000)
• 105th Congress (1997–1998)
• 104th Congress (1995–1996)