South Carolina governor Mark Sanford, who on Wednesday admitted to having an extramarital affair with a woman in Argentina, is also an outspoken advocate for "traditional marriage" who has consistently opposed any form of relationship recognition or adoption rights for gay South Carolinians.
As a U.S. representative, Sanford voted in 1999 to bar gays and lesbians in the District of Columbia from adopting. In 2002, while running for governor, Sanford answered to a survey question that marriage should be restricted to heterosexual couples, and that same-sex partnerships should not be recognized with a separate accommodation such as civil unions.
Last week Sanford told his staff that he would be hiking the Appalachian Trail, but it eventually emerged that he traveled to Argentina to be with his lover. He spent nearly a week in South America, including Father's Day, with the woman. "I spent the last five days of my life crying in Argentina," he said at a press conference today.
Sanford was one of a handful of hopefuls that some were eyeing to carry the Republican presidential ticket in the 2012 election. Others include governors Bobby Jindal of Louisiana, Sarah Palin of Alaska, and Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota.
