Local lawmakers react to Sanford's affair

News of Gov. Mark Sanford’s extramarital affair shocked elected officials throughout the area, who generally have a personal, if not political, fondness for the governor because of his connection to Beaufort County.

His nearly week long disappearance, which had fueled jokes at the water cooler and on late-night television, ended Wednesday with the admission he had carried on a romantic relationship with a woman in Argentina.

It was a hard fall.

Sanford moved to the Lowcountry as a high school student, about 10 years after his father bought the 1,500 acre Coosaw Plantation in 1965, where he was taught the value of hard work. Sanford always referred to the place as “the farm.”

The community had watched Sanford grow into a politician willing to take principled stands, first as a three-term congressman, now a second-term governor.

State Sen. Clementa Pinckney, D-Ridgeland, was listening to ETV Radio at about 2:30 p.m. Wednesday when regular programming halted and a familiar voice came across.

“For about 10 seconds, I didn’t know who it was,” the pastor said, “but then I realized, oh man, it’s the governor.”

“This is a personal crisis, but who knows what impact this is going to have on his ability to govern,” Pinckney continued. “I think it’s too early to tell.

It’s a really hard working environment right now. Everyone’s shocked. It’s like someone died.”

In a sense, part of him did.

There’s no more talk of a 2012 presidential bid and fights to keep his job certainly loom.

Sanford, who has battled members of his own party for more than six years over executive power and more recently, federal stimulus funding, seems likely to face a chorus of his staunch opponents calling for his resignation.

“I think we need to step back and let this cool down,” said state Rep. Bill Herbkersman, R-Bluffton. “Personally, I’m very sorry for the unfortunate situation, but the governor is human and is prone to making mistakes like the rest of us. I just think the public should give him some space.” State Rep. Ken Hodges, D-Green Pond, agreed the governor should not bow to public pressure to step down.

“I believe he did the right thing by resigning his position as chair of the Republican Governors’ Association,” he said. “However, personally I don’t think it is necessary for him to resign as governor. But I do believe there will be a great deal of pressure placed on him to resign. Whether or not he can endure it depends on how strong his faith is.”

When news of the affair broke, state Rep. Shannon Erickson, R-Beaufort, thought of the Sanford family. Several members of the family, including the governor’s mother, live in her district.

During past campaign stops and at other political events, the state representative tried to spend time with Sanford’s four boys. Erickson, who runs a daycare center, figured they could use a friendly face, especially at times when they probably felt uncomfortable in the lime light.

“I do believe in the sanctity and dignity of marriage, but we also have to be thankful that Gov. Sanford is a person who does know how to apologize and ask for forgiveness,” she said. “I’m anxious to see the family be given time to deal with the news. South Carolina is known for its warm hearts and compassion, and I think right now we’re going to need all of that we can get.”