Jenny Sanford — the former South Carolina First Lady who wrote an autobiography about that time her ex-husband/former Governor Mark mysteriously disappeared to "hike the Appalachian trail," which turned out to be a euphemism for frolicking about with his Argentine lover, who is now his fiance — might fill Jim DeMint's Senate seat when he leaves to take over the Heritage Foundation next year.
Not too long ago, Mark Sanford was considered a likely contender for the 2012 presidential nomination. How time flies; now he's part of the Fox News graveyard of disgraced politicians-turned-pundits. Jenny, on the other hand, might have a bright political future ahead of her: South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley chose her as one of five other people who could replace DeMint, along with Rep. Tim Scott, Rep. Trey Gowdy, former state Attorney General Henry McMaster, and conservative attorney Catherine Templeton, who heads up the state's Department of Health and Environmental Control.
From CNN:
Sanford would bring an instant celebrity profile to the Senate and would almost certainly unleash a torrent of media attention. Aside from a national book tour, she has kept a low profile since weathering a storm of scandal in 2009, when her husband, then-Gov. Mark Sanford, disappeared from the state to visit his girlfriend in Argentina.
But she always wielded a muscular political hand behind the scenes during her husband's campaigns and his time in the governor's mansion. Her name frequently surfaces in discussions about future candidates for the lowcountry House seat currently held by Scott.
How come Haley's neglecting poor Stephen Colbert, who is the favorite choice of South Carolinians to replace DeMint, according to a new poll released yesterday? Let the people speak!
[CNN]