NRCC drops Mark Sanford

The decision is reportedly due to revelations that Sanford's ex-wife filed a trespassing complaint against him

Published April 17, 2013 6:31PM (EDT)

The NRCC is backing away from the congressional campaign of former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, reportedly after revelations that Sanford's ex-wife filed a trespassing complaint against him.

Politico reports:

Blindsided by news that Sanford’s ex-wife has accused him of trespassing and concluding he has no plausible path to victory, the National Republican Congressional Committee has decided not to spend more money on Sanford’s behalf ahead of the May 7 special election.

“Mark Sanford has proven he knows what it takes to win elections. At this time, the NRCC will not be engaged in this special election,” said Andrea Bozek, an NRCC spokeswoman.

The decision by the NRCC comes the same day the Associated Press reported that Jenny Sanford, Mark Sanford's ex-wife, filed a trespassing complaint that accused him of ”enter[ing] into a pattern of entering onto plaintiff’s property. Plaintiff has informed defendant on a number of occasions that this behavior is in violation of the court’s order and has demanded that it not occur again.”

Mark Sanford put out a statement in response saying that he was just there to "watch the second half of the Super Bowl at the beach house with our 14 year old son because as a father I didn’t think he should watch it alone. Given she was out of town I tried to reach her beforehand to tell her of the situation that had arisen, and met her at the back steps under the light of my cell phone when she returned and told her what had happened."


By Jillian Rayfield

Jillian Rayfield is an Assistant News Editor for Salon, focusing on politics. Follow her on Twitter at @jillrayfield or email her at jrayfield@salon.com.

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2013 Elections Jenny Sanford Mark Sanford Nrcc Republicans South Carolina