South Carolina Congressman Mark Sanford has endorsed Ted Cruz for president.
The Palmetto State’s former governor, whose term in office ended in disgrace amid a sex scandal, pledged his support to the Texas senator one day before the Republican primary.
“What struck me about Ted is the fact that you’ve come out against those ethanol subsidies, I fought against spending my entire time in politics and all too few people will,” Sanford told a Charleston crowd. “We need another fighter in Washington.”
Despite picking Cruz, Sanford has previously indicated that he thinks Donald Trump will win. Sanford told the Washington Examiner‘s Joel Gehrke that Trump was the favorite in the South Carolina primary. Whether Sanford’s support will have a positive effect for Cruz remains unclear, as the senator has courted an evangelical Christian following who may have not yet forgiven Sanford’s misdeeds.
Sanford stood alongside Cruz and Fox News personality Sean Hannity while making the endorsement. And he was followed onstage by conservative celebrities Phil Robertson, the reality TV star, and David Limbaugh, Rush Limbaugh’s brother, who touted their support of Cruz.
This post has been corrected to reflect that Sanford did not resign due to his scandal.
