CIVPAC Endorses Mark Sanford for the U.S. Senate

2026 Elections, Centrist Political Endorsements, Governor Endorsements, Primary Endorsements 1 Minute
South Carolina scene featuring the State House, state outline, palmetto trees, crescent moon, waterfront and the words “South Carolina—The Palmetto State.”

CIVPAC has endorsed former Governor Mark Sanford in South Carolina’s August 11 special Republican primary for the United States Senate.

Sanford is not a conventional centrist, and CIVPAC has important disagreements with him—particularly on abortion. But he offers qualities that have become increasingly rare in the Republican Party: genuine concern about federal debt, support for competitive markets and free trade, respect for constitutional limits and demonstrated independence from Donald Trump.

Sanford opposed Trump’s tariffs, challenged the party’s growing reliance on presidential loyalty and lost his congressional seat after publicly criticizing Trump. His record gives us reason to believe that he would approach the Senate as a member of an independent branch of government rather than as an automatic vote for the president.

He has made serious personal and political mistakes. South Carolina voters have previously considered those failures and returned him to public office. We believe his experience, fiscal seriousness and political courage make him the strongest candidate in the Republican field.

Read CIVPAC’s full endorsement of Mark Sanford.

See this endorsement and our other current recommendations on the 2026 CIVPAC Candidate Endorsements page.

Published by Centrist Independent Voter, PAC

The Centrist Independent Voter Political Action Committee, Inc., also known as CIVPAC, was formally established in 2022. Its predecessor organization was founded in 2011 as the New Independent Party. CIVPAC is a nonprofit political action committee focused on moving the existing political parties toward the political center. CIVPAC’s purpose is twofold: first, to promote centrist solutions to difficult public policy problems; and second, to support moderate candidates, including Democrats, Republicans, and independents. CIVPAC’s logo is adapted from Francisco Goya’s The Sleep of Reason. The inscription in the image reads, “The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters.”

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