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| Campaign | 2020 United States presidential election (Republican Party primaries) |
|---|---|
| Candidate | Mark Sanford U.S. representative fromSouth Carolina's 1st congressional district (1995-2001, 2013-2019) Governor of South Carolina (2003-2011) |
| Affiliation | Republican Party |
| Status | Withdrawn |
| Announced | September 8, 2019 |
| Suspended | November 12, 2019 |
| Receipts | US$100,964.33[1] (12/31/2019) |
| Slogan | Financial Conservative |
| Website | |
| www.marksanford.com (archived - October 1, 2019) | |
The 2020 presidential campaign of formerU.S. Representative andSouth Carolina GovernorMark Sanford began on September 8, 2019, when Sanford announced his intention to challenge incumbent PresidentDonald Trump forthe Republican nomination inthe 2020 election,[2] and ended on November 12.[3] Sanford planned on making the announcement inSouth Carolina on September 2, but postponed due toHurricane Dorian. A formal announcement was made on September 8.[4]
In September, Sanford made several campaign stops in his home state of South Carolina (includingGreenville,Columbia, andMount Pleasant) wherein he "debated" with acardboard cutout of Donald Trump. This was in reaction to theSouth Carolina Republican Party's decision to forgo a Republican primary in that state.[5] On September 19, Sanford held his first campaign stop in the early primary state ofNew Hampshire.[6] This was followed by a four-day swing throughIowa that lasted through September 25.[7]
On October 16, 2019, Sanford formally launched his campaign with a week-long, 3,500 mile road trip which started in Philadelphia. Only one person, a reporter fromThe Philadelphia Inquirer, showed up. The road trip was called "Kids, We’re Bankrupt and We Didn’t Even Know It," and saw Sanford holding a large check for "one trillion dollars" that he hoped would "spark a needed conversation" within the Republican Party about spending and debt.[8]
After failing to gain traction in the race, Sanford ended his presidential bid on November 12. He blamed the ongoingimpeachment inquiry against Donald Trump, saying that it "has made my goal of making the debt, deficit and spending issue a part of this presidential debate impossible right now ... nearly everything in Republican Party politics is currently viewed through the prism of impeachment."[9]