Sanford, GOP legislators on same page

Governor moving closer to lawmakers

By Jim Davenport

The Associated Press

COLUMBIA - The Gov. Mark Sanford that stood in front of legislators Wednesday night may look like the same guy who only a couple of years earlier toted piglets to the House door and seriously considered a lawsuit when the General Assembly bucked him.

But as he ticked off a list of items that he and the legislature found common ground on during his State of the State speech, it became clearer that Republicans controlling the legislature and governor's office are learning to work together.

"I took from the speech that he's matured in office," Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler said.

In 2002, the Gaffney Republican's brother, Bob Peeler, lost to Sanford in a bitter primary runoff. Since then, Peeler has thrown more than a few barbs Sanford's way.

Peeler sees a different guy downstairs as Sanford faces re-election this year.

Sanford has learned "over the last two or three years he needs to work with the General Assembly and particularly members of his party," he said.

House Speaker Bobby Harrell said he likes what he sees developing with Sanford. After the speech, Harrell said it was good to hear the governor talk about shared accomplishments and "even better to hear him to talk about the agenda this coming year and to focus on the things the House Republican caucus rolled out last week."

Sanford's legislative agenda meshes with most of what the House and Senate leadership wants, but Sanford spokesman Joel Sawyer said the governor hasn't changed his tune.

"The governor's agenda has always been one of smaller government, less spending, more choices for parents and government restructuring," Sawyer said. "The fact that the House shares that agenda with the governor in the coming year is welcome."

There are a few reasons Sanford and legislators seem more in step.

For instance, "he's doing a lot more one-on-one contact with legislators," Peeler said. "My Republican senators feel a lot better now than they've felt in a long time."

And, Sanford is choosing to fight less and win more.

This year, for instance, he's sidelined efforts for an income tax break as well as a proposal to give tax credits to parents sending children to private schools.

Last year, Sanford insisted that the income tax cut, rather than cuts in property tax, was the best thing for taxpayers. This year, income taxes were left out of the speech and property taxes - the legislature's top issue - were in. As for his tax credit plan, Sanford says he's made a strategic decision to set it aside this year.

Governors come into the office thinking they have more power than do, Sanford said.

"What you begin to learn as you go through this process - with different knocks in that process - is that you don't have as much leverage as you'd like to have in our political system."

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