(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many adults in the United States believe Mark Sanford should step down, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 55 per cent of respondents think Stanford should resign his position as governor of South Carolina after acknowledging an extra-marital affair.
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) – Many adults in the United States believe Mark Sanford should step down, according to a poll by Angus Reid Strategies. 55 per cent of respondents think Stanford should resign his position as governor of South Carolina after acknowledging an extra-marital affair.
Sanford—a Republican—won the 2002 gubernatorial election in South Carolina, defeating Democrat Jim Hodges with 52.9 per cent of the vote. He took office in January 2003, and was elected to a new term in 2006 with 55.1 per cent of the vote. Sanford is ineligible for a third consecutive term in office.
For six days in late June, Sanford’s whereabouts were unknown to the public. On Jun. 24, Sanford acknowledged an extramarital affair, and eventually reimbursed the state for the cost of a government-funded trip during which he saw a woman—María Belén Chapur of Argentina—who is not his wife.
Sanford, who resigned as chairman of the Republican Governors Association but has not voiced any intention to leave his position as governor, declared: "I met this person a little over eight years ago. Again, very innocently. And struck up a conversation, and I want to go back to the bubble of politics. This is not justifying, because again what I did was wrong, period, end of story."
On Jul. 20, through an op-ed published in several South Carolina newspapers, Sanford apologized to Palmetto State residents, stating, "I’ve been humbled and broken as never before in my life and as a consequence have given up areas of control in a way that I never have before—and it is my belief that this will make me a better father, husband, friend and advocate."
Polling Data
As you may know, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford acknowledged that he had an extramarital affair, and reimbursed the state for the cost of a government-funded trip during which he saw a woman who is not his wife. Thinking about this, do you think Stanford should resign his position as governor?
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Yes
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55%
|
|
No
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24%
|
|
Not sure
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20%
|
Source: Angus Reid Strategies
Methodology: Online interviews with 1,000 American adults, conducted from Jul. 16 to Jul. 18, 2009. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.
