Mark Sanford, the republican governor of South Carolina, is a name that is undoubtedly on the short list to be John McCain’s running mate. Like Senator John Thune, another name on the McCain VP short list, Sanford is socially conservative, well liked by the GOP base, is younger than McCain and looks the part of VP. However, Sanford has an advantage over Thune, he has executive experience.
Sanford was elected to the House of Representatives in 1994 and served three terms, which was in keeping with a campaign promise he made to serve no more than three terms in Congress. In 2002, he defeated incumbent governor James Hodges, a democrat, and became the 115th governor of South Carolina. In the elections of 2006, an election cycle that devastated republicans at every level of government across the country, Sanford was easily reelected to a second term as governor, beating democrat Tommy Moore by eleven points.
It is known that Sanford is campaigning for number two slot on the GOP ticket. In March, he wrote a lengthy op-ed in The Wall Street Journal that praised John McCain and attacked Senators Obama and Clinton. Additionally, Sanford’s national media presence has increased significantly since December 2007. In the lead up to the South Carolina GOP primary, Sanford went on the cable news networks to say why the republicans need to win the White House. After McCain became the presumptive GOP nominee, Sanford continued his television appearances, but added to his repertoire a great deal of high praise for Senator McCain. Additionally, Sanford wrote a column for the newspaper, The State, in which he praised Barack Obama, but said that he disagrees with him on numerous policies. The piece was designed to push Democratic voters towards Obama in the primaries and to appeal to swing voters in the general election.
The selection of Mark Sanford would do more than placate the GOP base, it would help McCain with the electoral map (especially if Senator Obama is the Democratic presidential nominee). Obama’s win in the South Carolina primary showed that he has the potential to be competitive enough in the state that it would force McCain to expend limited resources fending off an Obama presence. With Sanford on the ticket, it would not only help to prevent Obama from forcing McCain to spend money in South Carolina, but it could help McCain in Virginia, a state that Democrats believe that Obama could win.
Without a doubt, Mark Sanford would be a safe and prudent pick for Senator McCain. As a running mate, he would be an effective campaigner, helping to unify republicans and ensuring a good turnout among the GOP base. Lastly, Sanford passes the most important VP test: he has the ability and is qualified to perform the duties of the Office of the President of the United States.
