Trafalgar Group
20%15%10%5%0%
15.1%
Republican
South Carolina Republican Senate special primary: 1st place (1st round)
$65.2K
AUG 12, 2026Primary Election
Party selects its nominee.
Live Odds
Current prediction-market probability for the candidate, updated as market prices change.
Mark Sanford is trading at 2% to win the South Carolina Republican Senate special primary: 1st place (1st round) on prediction markets.
Candidate Overview
Key details about the candidate’s background, party, office sought and current campaign.
Current roleFormer U.S. Representative
PartyRepublican
Political ideologyConservative Republican
Age66 years old (May 28, 1960)
GenderMale
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LocationSouth Carolina
BackgroundPolitician
EducationFurman University (B.A., Business)
Notable personal detailsMarshall Clement "Mark" Sanford Jr. is an American politician and author who served as Governor of South Carolina from 2003 to 2011 and represented South Carolina's 1st congressional district in the U.S. House from 1995 to 2001 and from 2013 to 2019. He earned a B.A. in business from Furman University and an M.B.A. from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business. Sanford has also worked in real estate finance and investment.
SourcesShowHide
fec.goven.wikipedia.orgnga.orgmarksanford.comelectrepublicans.orgballotready.orgthedailybeast.comaxios.comapnews.comelectionarchive.washtenaw.orgfilpac.comlinktr.eethestate.comprojects.propublica.orgdonorsecrets.comifs.orgcfr.orgpbs.orgjustfacts.votesmart.orgscstatehouse.govthenewamerican.comtime.comgovinfo.govlifenews.comreproductivefreedomforall.orgny1.commichiganadvance.comoffshore-energy.bizvoteclimatepac.orgiowapbs.orgontheissues.orgnewsweek.comcongress.govtransparencyusa.orgfacebook.compresidency.ucsb.eduscdailygazette.comfoxnews.comabcnews4.comnotus.orgwsoctv.comnytimes.comyahoo.comwashingtonpost.comusatoday.compolitico.cominstagram.comhistory.house.govbioguideretro.congress.govbioguide.congress.govwikidata.orgstatic.votesmart.orgfinance.senate.gov
Political Positions
LiberalConservative
Economy & Taxes
Supports lower taxes, tax reform (including a flat-tax approach at times), reductions in government spending, and deficit reduction rather than raising taxes. Emphasizes pro-growth tax policy and skepticism about tax increases as a solution to fiscal problems.
Healthcare
The candidate has supported repealing key parts of the Affordable Care Act and backed the Republican American Health Care Act in 2017. He has advocated market-based reforms such as expanding portability, using health savings accounts, and reducing ACA mandates to increase choice and lower costs. His stated approach emphasizes private-market solutions rather than expanding government coverage programs.
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Immigration & Border
Supports strengthening border security including construction of a border wall and stricter enforcement while opposing extreme measures such as family separation; has also expressed support for increasing high-skilled immigration pathways. Overall his public statements emphasize enforcement and border control alongside limited reforms for legal immigration.
Abortion & Reproductive Rights
Mark Sanford has a history of supporting abortion restrictions while allowing some limits and regulations. As governor he signed laws requiring ultrasounds and waiting periods and his public statements describe a pro-restriction, pro-life orientation without advocating a total ban. His congressional record and interest-group scorecards classify him as opposed to expansive abortion access.
Climate & Energy
Acknowledges that climate change is real and has supported expanding nuclear, wind, solar, and other clean-energy options while favoring market-oriented or moderate policy responses rather than Green New Deal–style mandates. Has taken actions opposing offshore seismic testing/drilling off South Carolina’s coast and previously established a state advisory committee on climate and energy as governor.
Public Safety & Guns
Mark Sanford expresses support for existing gun-safety limitations while opposing broad new bans on semiautomatic/so-called “assault” rifles and emphasizes gun ownership rights and law enforcement. He has described semiautomatic rifles as not fundamentally different from other firearms and has noted that handgun violence is a larger source of non-suicide gun deaths.
Latest News
AINews Summary
Last updatedJul 29, 2026
Mark Sanford has entered South Carolina’s Republican special Senate primary, joining a crowded field for the seat formerly held by Lindsey Graham. He says his campaign will focus on the national debt, government efficiency, and inflation. Just a few months earlier, Sanford had ended his congressional bid and said he would shift toward launching a nonprofit focused on the national debt, so this Senate run marks a return to electoral politics.
fec.gov+52
Articles
L5Live 5 News WCSC15 days ago
Former Gov. Mark Sanford announces run for US Senate seat
Neutral
SASanta Ana Orange County Register3 months ago
Mark Sanford quits latest bid for Congress, says he'll set up nonprofit
Neutral
NNewsmax3 months ago
Mark Sanford Quits Latest Bid for Congress | Newsmax.com
Neutral
UNU.S. News & World Report3 months ago
Mark Sanford Quits Latest Bid for Congress and Says He'll Set up a Debt-Focused Nonprofit Instead
Neutral
Latest Polls
Recent polling results and the candidate's current average in the race.
Aggregation source: FiftyPlusOne
Campaign Fundraising
Latest report: Cycle 2024Campaign finance totals from the latest available reporting period.
Total raisedCash on hand
$1.3M
$1.0M
$669.1K
$334.6K
$0
2022
2024
LatestYear
Total raised
Cash on hand
Total spent
Burn rate
Cycle 2022
$27.4K
$1.3M
$30.9K
$1.3K
Cycle 2024
$8.1K
$1.3M
$22.8K
$949.94
Source: FEC
New updates coming soon
We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.
- Endorsements