Outgoing Gov. Mark Sanford Opens Up About Scandal

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In the coming weeks, dozens of governors across the country will step aside as their replacements are sworn in. Few leave with as much notoriety as South Carolina Republican Mark Sanford. He became famous for sneaking off to Argentina to see his mistress.

From member station WFAE, Julie Rose reports on Sanford's legacy.

JULIE ROSE: He's been governor for eight years, which is the limit in South Carolina. But Sanford wouldnt have run again anyway.

Governor MARK SANFORD (Republican, South Carolina): No, I think I've had my fill.

ROSE: And so have many South Carolinians.

Mr. TERRY PROVEAUX: I don't like how the end of Sanford's campaign went, but he looked strong for a long time.

Ms. DENISE HILL: I admired what he was trying to accomplish, but the general frustration was his inability to get anything accomplished.

ROSE: Those were Sanford supporters, Terry Proveaux and Denise Hill.

Two moments from Sanford's tenure are now legendary. One is the day he marched into the ornate chambers of the general assembly with a couple of piglets to protest a budget he said was full of pork. The other moment - and the one that really introduced him to America - was this rambling press conference in the lobby of the Capitol building.

Gov. SANFORD: I - I've been unfaithful to my wife.

ROSE: That teary confession catapulted him to late-night fame. Here's a mash up from Politico.com.

(Soundbite of late-night TV jokes)

Unidentified Man #1: He claimed that he was just hiking in the Appalachian Mountains.

Mr. DAVID LETTERMAN: But now it turns out that he was in Argentina with another woman.

Mr. CONAN OBRIEN: Yeah, people were shocked because Republicans traditionally dont do well with Hispanic women.

(Soundbite of laughter)

Mr. JIMMY KIMMEL: This is the guy, Sanford, who some people thought might be a candidate for president next time around. He won't, by the way.

ROSE: He also wouldnt be married for much longer. And Hiking the Appalachian Trail has become a euphemism for cheating.

But today, Sanford admits he was fair game for the late-night circuit.

Gov. SANFORD: You know, the reality of life is that we all mess up. We all make mistakes. And so, yeah, I would say I deserve whatever it was that I got at the time. You walk out and you see an absolute sea of television cameras and you know this is not going to be a good day.

ROSE: And yet, Sanford now thinks that storm, as he often calls it, had a silver lining because people stopped being obsessed with whether or not he was running for president, which he swears he wasn't.

Gov. SANFORD: We actually got to debate - not the trajectory of Mark's political star - but the issue at hand. So oddly enough, and I never would have guessed this, it became probably, if not the, one of the most productive years that we had in the eight years here.

ROSE: In their last session, South Carolina lawmakers actually let a record number of Sanford's budget vetoes stand. Previously, the Republican-controlled legislature pretty much refused to do anything Sanford wanted, including major tax cuts or full-scale school choice.

Meanwhile, Sanford seemed to enjoy antagonizing lawmakers with press conferences and pigs in the capitol.

University of South Carolina political scientist Mark Tompkins says the big difference in 2010 was Mark Sanford.

Professor MARK TOMPKINS (Political Science, University of South Carolina): I think he conducted himself more carefully, and he probably brought a sense of humility to the last session that he may not have brought before. He has always had a reputation for being a little full of himself.

ROSE: Sanford does seem humbled. For all his preaching about pinching pennies, he once told his staff to write on both sides of Post-it Notes, Sanford leaves the state with a billion dollar budget gap. He clings to the small victories, such as reducing the wait time at the DMV and restructuring the state's unemployment system.

His famous tryst in Argentina means this could well be the end of Sanford's political career. And he's leaving just when the Tea Party could have thrust him onto a much bigger stage.

Gov. SANFORD: You know, one dear friend came to me and he was, you know, practically in tears and put his arm around me and said, this is a Greek tragedy. The very moment when, you know, all the things you've been talking about as a voice in the wilderness for 15 years are coming to fruition, you're not there. And I said, you know, that's life.

ROSE: He hasnt ruled out the possibility of a political comeback. But for now, he's headed to his South Carolina farm and probably his real estate developer's roots.

As for the Argentine woman he called his soulmate? Last May they spent a weekend in Florida. Sanford said at the time they were exploring the possibilities.

Are you still dating her?

Gov. SANFORD: I've said everything I have to say about my personal life, and then some.

ROSE: The thought of having only a personal life - no more parades and press conferences and nosy reporters - makes Sanford smile.

For NPR News, Im Julie Rose in Charlotte.

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