Mark Sanford campaigns across the Lowcountry before special primary

Mark Sanford asking Lowcountry Republicans for another chance is one of those political moments that only makes sense if you've been following South Carolina politics for twenty years. This is the guy who disappeared for six days claiming he was hiking the Appalachian Trail when he was actually in Argentina with his mistress. He survived that as governor, lost his House seat to a Trump primary challenge in 2018, and now he wants Lindsey Graham's old Senate seat. You have to admire the nerve, if nothing else.

The thing is, Sanford was actually a decent fiscal conservative before the scandal swallowed his career. He fought spending fights other South Carolina Republicans wouldn't touch. But voters have long memories, especially in a state where personal conduct still matters to a lot of churchgoing Republicans, and his last comeback attempt got crushed for a reason: he never fully made peace with the Trump wing of the party that now dominates GOP primaries.

Whether the Lowcountry gives him another look Tuesday probably says less about Sanford himself and more about what kind of Republican Party South Carolina wants going forward. Does it want a return to the pre-Trump, budget-hawk brand of conservatism Sanford represented, or has that ship sailed for good? Special elections have a way of surprising people, and low turnout affairs like this one can reward name recognition over anything else. Sanford has plenty of that, for better and worse.

That said, replacing Graham is no small task, and whoever wins deserves scrutiny beyond just "who do voters remember." The seat matters too much for nostalgia to carry the day.