MARK SANFORD

South Carolina’s popular, maverick governor, Mark Sanford, has been embroiled in public disputes with the State Legislature -- even members in his own party -- practically since taking office in 2003.
In his battle versus the status-quo, he has even gotten involved in campaigns against members of his own party with whom he is often at odds. But in at least two cases, campaign operatives associated with Sanford may have crossed the line.
In the first instance, a Web site run by a former Sanford staffer exulted that “somebody has a Strom Thurmond problem,” a reference to the revelation that the late Thurmond had an illegitimate black daughter.
“While the identities of both the State Senator and his offspring have yet to be disclosed, sources tell FITSNews that the politician hails from the Midlands area of the state, that the child was released earlier this year from a correctional institution in South Carolina, and that the full story could break in wide circulation as early as next week,” reported FITSNews.com, a popular site operated by blogger Will Folks.
The following week, Folks wrote that the info had been linked
In the “comments” section is where the Senator was identified. “Say it aint so jakie,” wrote one anonymous commenter.
“Jakie been playing after hours where he shouldn’t be,” wrote another.
The rumor turned out to be unfounded, and Folks later wrote that the “leak” came from a close Sanford advisor. According to Folks:
“A lot of people have been wondering what S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford was going to do with that wad of nearly $2 million in leftover campaign cash he chose not to return to donors following his 2006 reelection. Well, it turns out one thing could be the political equivalent of a “sting” operation directed against some of his fiercest political opponents. Sources tell FITSNews that one of the governor’s closest advisors has been clandestinely working with at least one private investigator in an effort to collect dirt on ‘problem’ legislators.
“If true, this sort of Watergate methodology would certainly represent a radical departure from the governor’s previous pie chart and bar graph approach to getting things done.
Or not getting things done, actually.”
While it is rumored that the source of the smear was Sanford advisor Chris Drummond, the blogger never disclosed his source. And the anonymous commenters? Those would be the same Sanford advisors, as speculation has it.
Observers also speculate that Sanford aides were behind the “phoney phone calls” directed at GOP House candidate Randy Bates.
According to FITSNews.com, “sources are telling us that a black woman calling herself ‘Shaniqua’ has placed telephone calls to several Republican voters in Beaufort County urging them to vote for Shannon Erickson in today’s GOP State House runoff election. According to individuals who have received them, the calls say, ‘My name is Shaniqua, and I be voting’ for Shannon Erickson ’cause she gonna give me all the money I need sos I don’t hafta work.‘ Another phone caller, alleging to be Erickson herself, tells voters that she will ‘spend money like a drunken sailor’ if elected.”
But while these “sources” were telling the Columbia-based blogger about these calls, no one in Beaufort County -- where the election occurred -- reported getting the calls. Was it a dirty trick aimed at the Bates campaign? Some insiders say yes, and suggested the phoney-phoney phone calls came from the Sanford camp -- specifically, Beaufort native Tom Davis, who is said to be plotting a challenge to GOP Senator Catherine Ceips. (Ceips was an ardent backer of Bates, who was defeated in the primary by Erickson. Sanford openly worked against Ceips in her 2007 primary, and was said to be strongly supporting Erickson’s bid.)
Critics also accuse Sanford of attempting to funnel tax money to aid his ongoing political battle against lawmakers with him he is at odds. Specifically, he directed more than $101,000 in public money -- which was left over from the 2006 National Governors Association conference -- to Carolinians for Reform. Carolinians for Reform is essentially a campaign organization formed by Sanford campaign donors. Sanford had said the organization was created to “educate” South Carolinians about their own government, but critics call it an attack organization.
After Senator Knotts uncovered the taxpayer-funded campaign donation, Sanford requested the organization give the money back, and it did so. Still, the conservative governor’s formerly squeaky clean image had been sullied.