Ringside Politics With A Punch

With his admission of an affair with a reporter from Argentina, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford became the latest in a growing list of GOP lawmakers who have confessed to infidelity. His acknowledgment of the long distance relationship cast the Governor in a negative light and not surprisingly there have been increasing calls for his resignation. Not only did Sanford leave his wife and children on Father’s Day weekend, but he also jettisoned his gubernatorial responsibilities for five days and lied to his staff about his whereabouts. These behaviors will not soon be forgotten by South Carolina voters. While he may remain in office, Sanford will be a very marginalized and ineffective politician. There is little doubt that his long shot presidential aspirations are now officially squashed.  Social conservatives play a large role in the GOP presidential nomination process and the vast majority will not support a candidate who has admitted to an extra-marital affair.

Ironically, in the months before the scandal broke, Sanford was receiving positive press among conservatives for his strong stance against the Obama stimulus package. While he was encountering trouble at home with legislators, Sanford was gaining popularity among Republican insiders. Of course, all of that positive press has been erased with the news of the sex scandal.

Before Sanford made headlines with his philandering, Nevada Senator John Ensign (R-NV) admitted to an affair with a campaign aide, thus ending his presidential aspirations. Another potential GOP presidential contender Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, Jr. was appointed by President Obama to be Ambassador to China. So, scratch Huntsman from the GOP nomination sweepstakes as well. Who does that leave in the rapidly shrinking ranks of 2012 GOP presidential hopefuls?

Still standing, but bruised, is Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, who clearly has presidential ambitions, but has put them on the backburner for the moment. In recent weeks, Jindal requested a presidential fundraising committee be disbanded until after his 2011 Governor’s campaign is concluded. If Jindal wins re-election, he could theoretically restart the committee and jump into the presidential race.

In recent months, Jindal has toned down his high profile fundraising forays to far flung states. One major reason for this new strategy is that during the 45 day legislative session, Jindal was not allowed to leave the state for any fundraising trips. Politically, the Louisiana Governor is still recovering from the devastating reviews he received after he delivered the official Republican response to President Obama’s address to Congress. While Jindal made a very bad first impression to a large national audience, he remains quite popular among GOP insiders. If the Republican voters of 2012 want a fresh political face, Jindal could catch fire among the GOP conservative faithful who dominate the electorate in the early primary states.