On Wednesday morning, with two weeks until Election Day, Mark Sanford held a debate with a cardboard cutout.
To protest of the fact that Sanford’s Democratic opponent, Elizabeth Colbert Busch, has agreed to only one debate with the former South Carolina governor, Sanford held a debate with a poster of Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, with whom Colbert Busch is aligned, he said. Sanford and Colbert Busch are battling to become the next U.S. representative of South Carolina’s First Congressional District.
“My opponent continues to run a stealth campaign, avoiding public appearances and refusing to commit to televised forums for the benefit of 1st district voters,” Sanford said in a press release. “Since Elizabeth Colbert Busch refuses to articulate her views publicly, we are left to draw inferences for what she stands for on the basis of the groups that have made substantial monetary investments on her behalf.”
“Nancy Pelosi and other national Democrats have contributed nearly $1 million to her effort and we know what Nancy Pelosi stands for — she is anti-Boeing, pro-stimulus, pro-Obamacare and supports raising the debt ceiling,” Sanford added. “But because my opponent is refusing joint appearances to answer questions about where she stands on the issues, all we can assume is that she is going to be a reliable vote for the Pelosi-Obama agenda, were she to be elected.”
The so-called “debate” took place outside the Medical University of South Carolina, where the first debate between Colbert Busch and Sanford would have taken place. Her campaign, however, agreed to only one debate, set for Monday in Charleston. Sanford stood next to the life-size poster of Pelosi, held up by a female aide, judging by the shoes.
(Photo via Stefanie Bainum / Twitter)
“We called for at least four debates, she only agreed to one, and it won’t even be televised. She’s refused all other invitations for joint appearances as well,” explained Sanford spokesman Joel Sawyer.
Colbert Busch’s campaign criticized Sanford’s “desperate campaign to deceive voters” and said in a statement that she was “spending her time with real people who support her campaign,” and that “she doesn’t have to resort to phony cardboard cutouts to talk with the people of South Carolina.” (RELATED: Sanford trails opponent by nine points in new poll)
The Sanford campaign has hit some roadblocks in the past week, after The Associated Press reported that his ex-wife had filed a complaint against him for trespassing at her house. Sanford said he was there to watch a football game with the couple’s son.
Immediately after, the National Republican Congressional Committee said its would not support Sanford’s bid, the campaign canceled a D.C. fundraiser, and Democrats poured money into the race to help Colbert Busch. (RELATED: Tim Scott on Sanford: ‘I got nothing at this point’)
The two are vying for the seat vacate by former Rep. Tim Scott, who was appointed to the Senate after former Sen. Jim DeMint resigned to become president of the conservative Heritage Foundation. The election is set for May 7.