Former South Carolina representative, governor and onetime presidential candidate Mark Sanford entered the crowded race for the late Sen. Lindsey Graham’s seat on Thursday.
“We’re at a tipping point, and that’s why I’ve decided to run for the U.S. Senate,” Sanford said in a launch video. “I’d ask that you look at my record in Congress and as governor in watching out for your family’s future.”
Sanford, who left Congress in 2019, is a longtime fixture in South Carolina politics, known for his fiscal conservatism. He earned national notoriety after an extramarital affair during his time as governor and his criticism of President Donald Trump, including a short-lived 2020 primary challenge.
He is the latest high-profile entrant in a crowded field that includes Sen. Darline Graham, the sister of the late senator; Reps. Russell Fry and Ralph Norman; and businessman Mark Lynch, among others. Trump has already endorsed Graham, who was appointed to fill her brother’s seat for the duration of his term.
A special primary election will be held Aug. 11 to select the Republican nominee for a full six-year term.
Sanford was first elected to Congress in 1994, in the same class as the late Sen. Lindsey Graham. He served for three terms, was elected South Carolina governor in 2002, and was reelected to the House in a special election in 2013. Sanford launched a campaign for his old seat this cycle but abandoned the bid after a month to launch a debt-focused nonprofit.
A budget hawk, Sanford pointed to the country’s national debt as a motivating factor for his Senate bid now.
“I’m worried for our children because for the first time, America is borrowing from the future faster than we’re building it,” Sanford said in the video. “We’ll add about a trillion dollars to the national debt over the next 100 days, and if left unaddressed, that debt will crush our economy. It’ll wipe out our savings, and it could even destroy our republic.”
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