Mark Sanford - Congress

Congress

In 1994, Sanford entered the Republican primary for the Charleston-based 1st Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. The seat had come open after Republican four-term incumbent Arthur Ravenel gave it up to make an unsuccessful run for governor. Despite having never run for office before, Sanford finished second in a crowded primary behind Van Hipp, Jr, a former George H. W. Bush administration official. Sanford defeated Hipp in the runoff, and easily won the November general election. He was reelected twice, both times facing only minor-party opposition.

While in Congress, Sanford was considered to be a staunch conservative(he garnered a lifetime rating of 92 from the American Conservative Union, opposing gay civil unions and abortion for example), but displayed an occasional independent streak. He was known for voting against bills that otherwise got unanimous support. For example, he voted against a bill that preserved sites linked to the Underground Railroad. He voted for the Clinton impeachment following the Lewinsky scandal, declaring Clinton's behavior to be "reprehensible." Claiming that he saw himself as a "citizen-legislator," he did not run for reelection in 2000, in keeping with a promise to serve only three terms in the House.

Sanford was listed on the House roll as "R-Charleston," even though he lived on Sullivan's Island.