Sanford: Victory Mandate For More Change

SULLIVANS ISLAND, S.C -- Gov. Mark Sanford said Wednesday that it is nice to have the election behind him.

The Republican said that getting 55 percent of the vote represents a mandate from South Carolinians for his efforts to restructure government and cut costs.

"We've got a government structure which was put in place when women and black folks were disenfranchised from our political system,” Sanford said. “Does it make sense to run on a system -- an operating system -- that is that far outdated? You wouldn't do it with your computer. Why would you do it with your state government?"

Sanford said that having fellow Republican Thomas Ravenel as the new state treasurer -- will give him more support in handling the state budget.

Defeating state Sen. Tommy Moore by 10 percentage points give Sanford the widest victory margin for any governor since Carroll Campbell, who is also the last South Carolina governor to win reelection.

Sanford said that the issues facing the state are complex and he will need help explaining them to the public.

He said that too often the media focuses on stories such as his past conflicts with lawmakers.

With news of his 100,000-vote victory, Sanford's Election Day ended a lot better than it began.

Sanford had to make a two trips to his Sullivans Island precinct before he could cast a ballot.

He forgot his voter registration card and he couldn't use his drivers license because it has his Columbia address.

The Governor ended up having to get a new voter registration card before returning to his polling site to vote.

That whole process took about an hour and a half of his day.

While he was standing in line to vote, Sanford said this is his last campaign, win or lose.

Sanford still managed to make a last minute campaign stop in Greenville. He went to Tommy's Ham House and greeted voters before heading to Columbia for a victort celebration.

Moore, said he is disappointed by the loss but will work with the governor to help a unify the state.

Moore said he is grateful to everyone who worked on his campaign.

"I am so appreciative of all the hard work," Moore told WYFF News 4’s Gordon Dill. "We knew we were in an uphill battle. We knew we could not compete with the money. But we knew we had a lot of people that believed in us. We worked as hard as anytime I've worked in my life. Obviously I don't like to lose. I'm disappointed in the loss, but I'm not disappointed in the many people who believed in me and helped me."