Republican governor quits over Argentina affair

The governor of South Carolina, a rumoured 2012 presidential contender, has tearfully confessed to having an affair with a woman in Argentina, dealing the latest blow to a struggling Republican Party.

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Gov. Mark Sanford, who caused a ruckus after he could not be located by staff, family and friends for several days, apologised to his wife and four sons and said he will resign as head of the Republican Governors Association.

“I’ve been unfaithful to my wife,” he said in a bombshell news conference in which the 49-year-old governor ruminated aloud on God’s law, moral absolutes and following one’s heart. He said he spent the last five days “crying in Argentina.” His family did not attend.

At least one state politician called for his resignation. As a congressman, Mr Sanford voted in favour of three of four articles of impeachment against Democratic President Bill Clinton citing the need for “moral legitimacy.”

Mr Sanford’s infidelity admission adds to an ever-growing list of woes for the out-of-power Republican Party as it looks to rebound against the popular President Barack Obama and his emboldened Democrats.

The episode is another distraction for a party seeking a turnaround after disastrous losses in consecutive national elections as it confronts a stark reality: its less than diverse ranks are steadily shrinking, its regional heft is limited to the South and it lacks a leader of stature to guide the party back to power.

Excerpts of email exchanges between the governor and his mistress were published online last night by South Carolina newspaper The State. The governor’s office told The State it wouldn’t dispute the authenticity of the messages.

The woman in question, who lives in Argentina, has been a “dear, dear friend” for about eight years but, Mr Sanford told reporters, the relationship did not become romantic until a little over a year ago.

He said he had seen her three times since then, and his wife found out about it five months ago. He did not identify the woman.

“What I did was wrong. Period,” he said. He refused to say whether he will leave office. Mr Sanford did not answer directly whether the relationship with the woman was over.

Critics said he neglected his gubernatorial authority and put the state at risk by leaving the country without formally transferring power. It wasn’t clear how his staff could reach him in an emergency.

Mr Sanford revealed yesterday morning that he had gone to Argentina for a seven-day trip. For two days after reporters starting asking questions, his office had said he had gone hiking on the Appalachian Trial, a well-known hiking route along 2,178 miles of the eastern US

Mr Sanford denied instructing his staff to cover up his affair, but acknowledged that he told them he thought he would be hiking on the Appalachian Trail and never corrected that impression after leaving for South America.

Mr Sanford’s announcement came a day after another prominent Republican, Sen John Ensign of Nevada, apologised to his Republican Senate colleagues after revealing last week that he had an affair with a campaign staffer and was resigning from the Republican leadership.