Mark Sanford - Definition and Overview

Marshall Clement "Mark" Sanford, Jr. (born May 28, 1960) is an American politician who has been governor of South Carolina since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Sanford was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and moved with his family to South Carolina as a teenager. He was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1994, representing South Carolina's 1st Congressional District, and served from 1995 to 2001. In 2000, he chose not to run again, in accordance with his pledge not to serve more than three terms. He then ran for governor in 2002; he first defeated Lt. Gov. Bob Peeler in the Republican primary and then defeated the Democratic incumbent, Jim Hodges, in the general election, by a margin of 53% to 47%.

Sanford is a firm supporter of limited government, and many pundits have described his views as being libertarian in nature. There are several Internet-based groups trying to convince him to run for president in 2008.

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