Sanford ads aim for black voters

By Katrina A. Goggins

The Associated Press

COLUMBIA - It's not every day that a Republican governor from the South runs campaign ads talking about his civil rights record on television and radio stations that cater to black audiences, political analysts say.

But Gov. Mark Sanford's campaign manager says ads the governor ran on Black Entertainment Television and urban and gospel music radio stations in South Carolina are a continuation of the governor's civil rights record, not an indication that the GOP governor is losing his conservative base, as some critics have suggested.

"Gov. Sanford enjoys broad support from the conservative base of the Republican party," campaign manager Jason Miller said. "But he also has the ability to reach out and bring new folks on to the team, and that's what we're doing."

The incumbent Republican governor has frequently been at odds with the GOP-controlled House and Senate, leaving some to wonder if that's why he is trying to expand his base.

"There's no doubt Mark Sanford is in trouble. But it shouldn't take political desperation for the governor to pay attention to our African-American families," said Karen Gutmann, spokeswoman for Aiken County Sen. Tommy Moore, Sanford's Democratic opponent in November.

Francis Marion University political scientist Neal Thigpen says there's no question Sanford is losing some of his conservative base. But courting the black vote could be dangerous for Sanford, Thigpen said.

"If it becomes perceived that that's what he's trying to do, it may look like pandering, and it may look like something other than what a lot of Republicans in this state like," he said.