For his troubles, Sanford lost the Republican primary in his coastal South Carolina district five years after returning to Congress for his second Capitol Hill stint. Interspersed by eight years as South Carolina governor, in which Sanford became a late-night comic foil over his 2009 jaunt to Argentina for an extramarital affair, covered up by the lie that he was hiking the Appalachian Trail.

In a Twitter (now X) post on the day of that June 2018 primary, Trump lashed out against Sanford. The president wrote that Sanford “has been very unhelpful to me in my campaign to [Make America Great Again]. He is MIA and nothing but trouble. He is better off in Argentina.”

Trump’s social media missive proved a knockout blow against Sanford, who lost the GOP nomination to state legislator Katie Arrington.

Sanford tried to get revenge as Trump revved up for his 2020 reelection bid. Sanford entered the Republican presidential primary field on Sept. 8, 2019, on a message of fiscal discipline and a memory’s worth of alarming statistics about the burgeoning federal budget deficit and national debt.

Yet Sanford gained little traction, to the degree that few Republican primary voters even knew he was challenging Trump for renomination. Sanford ended his presidential bid on Nov. 12, 2019. 

But Sanford, 65, isn’t done running for office. He’s joined a crowded GOP field ahead of the June 9 primary for the 1st Congressional District, covering coastal South Carolina and Charleston suburbs, which is opening up since Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) is running for governor of the Palmetto State.

Sanford is among 19 former House members in 2026 who are trying, or have tried, to get their old jobs back. Three ex-senators are also seeking comebacks.

So far this year, four ex-House members have lost 2026 comeback bids in primaries. One former House member is virtually assured a Capitol Hill return after winning her party’s primary in a deep blue district, Illinois Democrat Melissa Bean.

Another former House Democrat has a decent shot of returning, Colin Allred of Texas. In the March 3 Democratic primary for the Dallas County-based 33rd Congressional District, Allred won 44% of the vote compared to 32% by freshman Rep. Julie Johnson (D-Texas). The pair will meet in a May 26 primary runoff for the deep-blue district.

Sanford was originally elected to the House in 1994, part of the Republican Revolution that ushered in the first GOP majority in 40 years. He held the seat, which, like now, included part of Charleston, before retiring in 2000 due to a term-limits pledge. Sanford successfully ran for governor of South Carolina in 2002 and was reelected in 2006.

He left office in 2011 under a cloud of scandal after having disappeared from South Carolina for nearly a week in 2009. Initially thought to have gone missing hiking the Appalachian Trail, Sanford had actually traveled to Argentina to visit his mistress.

Despite the scandal, Sanford won a 2013 special election against comedian Stephen Colbert’s sister to represent the 1st Congressional District. The seat became vacant after the GOP incumbent Tim Scott was appointed to the Senate.

After Sanford lost his June 2018 Republican primary bid, a Democrat won it that November amid an anti-Trump wave that ushered House Democrats into their first majority in eight years. Mace won it back in 2020 and is now leaving Congress behind in her quest to run for governor.

As for Sanford’s 2026 attempted House return, Trump has, to date, been quiet on it. That could very well change over the next seven weeks. And Republicans long in the congressional primary race are eager to make Sanford answer for his 2009 sex scandal.

“South Carolinians remember exactly who he is,” said state Rep. Mark Smith, one of 10 other Republicans running in the congressional primary, said in a March 30 X post. “A governor who went missing. A politician who turned his back on President Trump. A person who espouses term limits and runs again and again.”

Dorchester County Councilman Jay Byars, who is also seeking the GOP nod, likewise attacked Sanford, arguing that he’d failed to look out for his constituents as a congressman and as governor.

“A major reason I’m running is the fact that our district has been woefully underfunded in infrastructure for decades,” Byars said in a March 30 statement. “Sanford was a major reason for that in both D.C. and Columbia.”

Other notable Republicans hoping to succeed Mace include Charleston County Councilwoman Jenny Costa Honeycutt; Air Force veteran Alex Pelbath; Beaufort County Councilman Logan Cunningham; and Sam McCown, a physician who ended 2025 with far more cash than any of his rivals thanks to heavy self-funding. The lineup also features four little-known GOP candidates.

In 2024, 1st Congressional District voters backed Trump over Democratic rival Kamala Harris 56% to 43%. So, the June 9 GOP primary winner is likely the district’s next representative — though House Democrats have made noises about putting in resources to capture it amid what polls show could be a tough November for Republicans. Seven Democrats have filed for the race.

The large number of Republican contenders makes it unlikely that anyone will earn the majority of the vote needed to avert a runoff on June 23. Whether Sanford is among that putative group remains an open question. Trump could very well chime in against Sanford, as the president isn’t exactly a forgive-and-forget type. He’s unlikely to let Sanford off the political hook eight years after they last tussled ahead of a South Carolina congressional primary.

Former senators seeking new Senate terms

Scott Brown, a Republican who was a senator from Massachusetts from Feb. 4, 2010, to Jan. 3, 2013. Brown lost reelection in 2012. He subsequently moved to New Hampshire and is now running for the Granite State’s open Senate seat. The Republican primary is on Sept. 8.

Sherrod Brown, an Ohio Democrat, was a senator from 2007 to 2025. He is now running in the Ohio Democratic primary on May 5.

John E. Sununu, a New Hampshire Republican who was a senator from 2003 to 2009, is also running in New Hampshire. He is the son and brother of two former Granite State governors, John H. Sununu and Chris Sununu, respectively.

Former House members seeking Senate terms

Alan Grayson, a Florida Democrat who was a House member from 2009 to 2011 and 2013 to 2017. Grayson lost reelection in 2010. After returning to Congress in the 2012 elections, he lost a bid for the 2016 Democratic Senate nomination. Grayson is now running in the Democratic primary on Aug. 18.

Mary Peltola, an Alaska Democrat who was a House member from 2022 to 2025. Peltola lost her 2024 reelection bid and is now running in the Aug. 18 all-party primary. The top four vote-getters, regardless of partisan affiliation, then advance to the general election if no candidate reaches 50%.

Former House members seeking new terms in 2026

Colin Allred, a Texas Democrat who was a House member from 2019 to 2025. Allred was the 2024 Democratic Senate nominee but lost and is now pivoting to run in Texas’s 33rd Congressional District. In the primary, Allred advanced to the May 26 runoff.

Melissa Bean, an Illinois Democrat who was a House member from 2005 to 2011. Bean lost reelection in 2010 and has returned to win the 2026 Democratic primary in Illinois’s 8th Congressional District.

Cori Bush, a Missouri Democratic House member affiliated with “the Squad” from 2021 to 2025. Bush lost her renomination bid in 2024. She is running in the Aug. 4 Democratic primary in Missouri’s 1st Congressional District.

Jerry Carl, an Alabama Republican who was a House member from 2021 to 2025. Carl lost his 2024 renomination bid and is running in the May 19 Republican primary for Alabama’s 1st Congressional District.

Madison Cawthorn, who represented a North Carolina House district from 2021 to 2023. Cawthorn lost his 2022 renomination bid and is now running in the Aug. 18 primary for Florida’s 19th Congressional District.

Chris Collins, a Republican who represented a New York House district from 2013 to 2019. He resigned in 2019 and pleaded guilty to insider trading and lying to the FBI. Collins began serving a 26-month federal prison sentence in October 2020, but was pardoned by President Donald Trump two months later. He is now running in Florida’s 19th Congressional District.

Van Hilleary, a Tennessee Republican who was a House member from 1995 to 2003. He gave up his House seat in the 2002 election cycle for what turned out to be a losing gubernatorial run. Hilleary is now running in the Aug. 6 primary for Tennessee’s 6th Congressional District.

Elaine Luria, a Virginia Democrat who was a House member from 2019 to 2023. She lost her 2022 reelection bid and is now running in the Aug. 4 primary for Virginia’s 2nd Congressional District.

Ben McAdams, a Utah Democrat who was a House member from 2019 to 2021. He lost reelection in 2020 and is now running in the June 23 Democratic primary for Utah’s 1st Congressional District.

Cynthia McKinney, a Green Party member from Georgia who was a Democratic House member from 1993 to 2003, and from 2005 to 2007. McKinney lost Democratic primaries in 2002 and 2006. She is vying to appear on the general election ballot in Georgia’s 14th Congressional District, but will be required to either petition or pay a $5,220 filing fee because Georgia state law does not recognize the Green Party.

Tom Perriello, a Virginia Democrat who was a House member from 2009 to 2011 and lost his 2010 reelection bid. Perriello is running in the June 16 Democratic primary for Virginia’s 5th Congressional District.

Mark Sanford, the aforementioned South Carolina Republican who was a House member from 1995 to 2001 and South Carolina governor from 2003 to 2011. Sanford returned to the House from 2013 to 2019, losing renomination in 2018. He is running in the June 9 GOP primary for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District.

Hilda Solis, a California Democrat who was a House member from 2001 to 2009, when she became labor secretary in President Barack Obama’s administration. Solis is running in the June 2 all-party primary in California’s 38th Congressional District. All candidates run in a single primary election, with the top two vote-getters advancing to the general election if no candidate reaches 50%.

David Trone, a Maryland Democrat who was a House member from 2019 to 2025. He gave up his House seat in 2024 to run for Senate but was unsuccessful. Trone is running in the June 30 Democratic primary for Maryland’s 6th Congressional District.

Former House members defeated in 2026 comeback bids

Quico Canseco, a Texas Republican who was a House member from 2011 to 2013. Canseco lost his 2012 reelection bid and was defeated in the 2026 GOP primary for Texas’s 23rd Congressional District.

Mayra Flores, a Texas Republican who was a House member from June 21, 2022, to Jan. 3, 2023. She lost her 2022 reelection bid and lost the 2026 Republican primary in Texas’s 34th Congressional District.

Jesse Jackson Jr., an Illinois Democrat who was a House member from 1995 to 2012. He resigned, citing mental and physical health problems, including bipolar disorder and gastrointestinal problems. In 2013, Jackson admitted to violating federal campaign law by using funds for personal purchases. Jackson served about a year and a half in federal prison and then finished his sentence by transitioning to a halfway house. He ran for the 2026 Democratic nomination in Illinois’s 2nd District, but lost in the primary.

Tom Malinowski, a New Jersey Democrat who was a House member from 2019 to 2023. Malinowski lost a Feb. 5 special election in New Jersey’s 11th Congressional District.

Steve Stockman, a Texas Republican who was a House member from 1995 to 1997 and from 2013 to 2015. Stockman lost his 1996 reelection bid before returning to Congress in the 2012 election cycle, after which he gave up his House seat for an unsuccessful Senate Republican primary bid in 2014. In 2018, Stockman was convicted on 23 felony counts, including fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy. Trump commuted the remainder of his 10-year sentence in 2020. Stockman lost the 2026 Republican primary in Texas’s 9th Congressional District.

David Mark (@DavidMarkDC) is the managing editor of the Washington Examiner magazine.