Mark Sanford - Governor of South Carolina - Reelection and Second Term - Rankings

Rankings

In its April 2010 report, ethics watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington named Sanford one of 11 "worst governors" in the United States because of various ethics issues throughout Sanford's term as governor and his time in Congress. Some of Sanford's ethics lapses cited by the watchdog include:

• Abused his office for his personal benefit and the benefit of his friends.
• Violated campaign finance laws by failing to report in-kind contributions and improperly converting campaign funds for personal use.
• Subordinated his responsibilities to his pursuit of an extramarital affair.
• Endangered his state’s economy by threatening to refuse stimulus funds

The libertarian Cato Institute ranked Sanford as the best governor in America in their 2010 fiscal policy report card, describing him as "a staunch supporter of spending restraint and pro-growth tax reforms".