we could be looking at congressman mark sanford again. >>> amazing.s a jump ball, pun intended, for either of you. the president before he left for the middle east did his brackets with espn's andy katz. his picks? >> kansas is going to win. i tell you that -- >> i knew you were going to say kansas, because you are a kansas girl. >> exactly fourth generation kansas. watch ku. >> couldn't disagree more. we know that georgetown has the best player in the country, and after multiple failures to get beyond the second round of the ncaa tournament, i'm saying it -- this is our year. >> well, the president picked indiana and louisville, and chuck todd's not here, because he's over tess news conference, but i would say on his behalf, miami. thanks to both of you, chris cillizza, and susan, miss kansas. thanks so much. >>> meanwhile, house democrats battle the ryan budget. we're going to talk strategy next with congressman james clyburn. >>> and you're watching "andrea mitchell reports" live from israel, only on msnbc. when did you know that grandma was the on

joy, turns out that elizabeth colbert busch has a small lead over mark sanford, but mark sanford doesn'tyet, he has to win that in a runoff against what's his name, curtis bostick. he has a good lead over him. >> he has name recognition for better or worse, but bostick has an interesting record. rick santorum is campaigning with him, trying to run to the right of sanford, say the tea party approved alternative is bostick. i think it is likely sanford will get it. >> and you can hit the family values note against the former governor. >> absolutely. it is interesting the way that the two of them are running, right? elizabeth is doing a classic democratic message, jobs, jobs, jobs. mark sanford is running against washington and spending, trying to craft a message that crowds out family values. there's a major wild card in this race, and that's jenny sanford. she was the highest approval ratings of anyone you name in all of the polls, in the public policy poll. she's being courted by the elizabeth colbert busch campaign. if she endorsed her, that would be a game changing move in this race. w

and again, dick made a good point about mark sanford.100% name recognition running against people with zero name recognition and two-thirds of them voted for somebody else, i think there's a vulnerability here. >> what role would you like to see stephen colbert play in this campaign? >> he did a good job, couple weeks ago there was a dinner in charleston, i attended, he helped raise a couple hundred thousand dollars. he uses his celebrity and fame help his big sister raise money and get attention. i spent a significant amount of time with him at dinner the other night. the guy is bright. he is from charleston. nobody regards him being from new york and he is a state treasurer. something everybody admires. just his presence and words help her. by the way, i think everybody in charleston knows her as lulu. that's the nickname she grew up with, everybody knew her by that for years. she's from charleston, spent her life there, so has stephen. these are not outsiders coming in, these are folks that are known by the people of that district and

in previous campaigns, you have seen south carolina embrace men unfaithful to their wives. >> mark sanforded to bostic. he has $271,000 at this point, bostic, $56,000 for this runoff next week. and the polls indicate that sanford is ahead of bostic in the runoff. it is starting to look like sanford versus colbert. >> we couldn't get ashley judd in the race in kentucky, this might be the next best thing with colbert busch, sister of stephen colbert. it will be an exciting, interesting race. i think mark sanford is the favorite going in at this point, and this could be the beginning of another political climb to maybe a senate seat, maybe back to the governor's mansion because he is making amends with the folks in south carolina, which maybe it is surprising, i don't know.

take for instance, the story of mark sanford.whole story broke a few years ago and there was immediate pressure for him to step down as governor. he did not. when he left office, the poll in south carolina, we're not nuts about voting for the guy in the future. his unfavorable rating was fairly high. but if you look at his job approval number, overall, it was very strong among republicans and i think it might be one of the reasons why he is in a decent position today. we've seen, you contrast that with anthony weiner. we see stories every few months that he wants to come back and run for office in new york city. i think if he had just somehow just held on and weathered that storm as the story showed a few minutes ago, the storm does pass. nobody will ever forget it but it does pass. >> i think the key isn't quite letting the storm pass but it is being a really good retail politician. and if people in your district, the state, really, really like you, then they'll let you do a lot of things. you can get away with a lot of thing. l

>> it's certainly mark sanford's to win, but they had a spirited debate tuesday night. is bostic, former marine, solid base, trying to arrest the ones on the anti-sanford vote. mark san frpd needed the top 4078. at 37 or 38. curtis has the ability to get the anti-sanford votes, but curtis has his work cut out for him. neither campaign has a tremendously well-organized get out the vote campaign. it's mark's to win. just likes the general election and jamie will cover that in a minute, these low turnout models you have, you can throw a lot of national statistics out the window. only the hard base it going to vote. it's sanford's to anyone a tight race, but curtis could catch him. >> jamie, how can curtis bostic, how can he not be the guy that embarrassed himself in the state the way mark sanford did? one would think that mark sanford would be politically vulnerable? >> well, craig, he is, and we'll see that vulnerability when he's the, the republican candidate in a general election. you know, mark sanford has this core of hard-core right-wing republicans who support him, a

south carolina governor mark sanford disappeared from office. spent time out of the country in argentina with his mistress. both of these gentlemen have emerged with political careers apparently intact. even anthony weiner, the democratic congressman sexting seemed to set new standards for inappropriate behavior by a public official. he's eyeing a comeback, apparently taking a poll to see if he can come back for something in new york. what's different for politicians now. is it changes times? the culture? does it defend on where you live? gene robinson is ready for this one. he's a political expert. emily heil is with "the washington post." emily, what do you make of david vitter's durability? going to professional sex workers, they are called now, everybody knows about it. all his voters knew about it. he's back and they are talking about him for governor. >> it's truly amazing, it really is. i think it shows how much we are willing to forgive. i mean, david vitter was put out to the woodshed for a while here in washington. you would see him do

so in some ways if i'm the mark sanford folks, i'll feeling good. >> he still has a lot of money left over from the gubernatorial war chest. mark murray, thank you so much for joining us. >> thank you. >> we appreciate it. >>> next, republican party chairman on what went wrong in 2012. he says the problems are about process not policy. but would fewer debates and earlier convention really fix what is wrong with the gop? >>> plus, we'll go to jerusalem for more on the president's meetings today and learn about israel's iron dome. [ male announcer ] i've seen incredible things. otherworldly things. but there are some things i've never seen before. this ge jet engine can understand 5,000 data samples per second. which is good for business. because planes use less fuel, spend less time on the ground and more time in the air. suddenly, faraway places don't seem so...far away. ♪ ♪ 'cause germs don't stick on me ♪ [ female announcer ] band-aid brand has quiltvent technology with air channels to let boo boos breathe. [ giggles ] [ female announcer ] quiltvent technology, only from band-aid br

emily, the saga continues for mark sanford. what do you think of this? i think it's pretty insulting to her. from his perspective -- >> wait a minute. let me ask you. if your husband left you in a very public way and ran off the with the woman he left her soulmate -- >> i'm not sure he left her. i think she threw him out. >> you make a good point, rich. and forgiveness has been a big part of his theme, to is on maybe this is part of that. let me play a little bit of mark sanford. >> i have cut spending, reduced debt and made government more accountable. mott more recently, i have experienced how none of us go through life without mistakes. but this their wake, we can learn a lot about grace, a god of second chances and be the better for it. >> so what do you think, rich? will this plea for compassion work? will people look at this set of exchanges with his ex-wife and say, you go. >> yeah. he's still the same guy. when he released that ad that said the god of second chances, i said you ought to be praying to the god of tango dances which i thought would

so when they divorced ultimately after the infamous affair and that episode, mark sanford lost more than he really lost arguably one of his closest political allies. >> michael: for a time it looked like a possibility of his wife actually running against him. but now that she is not who will give sanford a run for his money? >> there's an incumbent lawmaker from a neighboring country, larry grooms who has known a lot of people and i think has got a lot of name recognition. there is also john koon, and teddy turner, and there's one candidate down from the southern end of the district the district was redrawn and now goes down to the georgia border and there is a candidate down there. among others. >> michael: so sanford has to anticipate a ton of attacks from his opponents. take a look at this one from teddy turner. >> we have come a long way. i know i spent too much, but it was all for you. but okay. i'll keep my promises this time. it will be different. i'm sorry for all of the mistakes i have made. sugar just give me one more chance. >> break up with career politicians. the right guy,

. >>> mark sanford's political career is officially revived. the former south carolina governor finishing first last night in a special election advancing to a runoff election in two weeks. in his attempt to win a house seat, sanford had to step down as governor as you know after lying about an extramarital affair that was back in 2009. he picked up 37% of the vote last night, well short of the 50% needed to avoid a runoff. still, sanford says it was a humbling victory. >> what the voters hopefully care about is not my personal journey, what they care about is what am i going to do, if elected, to watch out for their pocketbook or their wallet. >>> so sanford wins the runoff election in two weeks he'll face democrat elizabeth colbert busch in may. she is the sister of tv comedian stephen colbert. the next hour we'll be joined by teddy turner the son of cnn's founder ted turner. he ran last night against sanford. didn't fare too well. >> yeah. >> what a family story, stephen colbert's sister, who is colbert. ted turner's son teddy. >> you know w

the first leg of mark sanford's shot at political redemption is now complete. the former governor of south carolina easily clinched a spot in the run-off in the charleston area congressional seat. what is still unclear who his opponent will be. a recount between curtis bostic and larry grooms, separated by less than 1%. sanford will try to cobble support for those who voted for other fields. the importance of putting the country's financial house in order. >> at the end of the day what we're all fighting for as fellow south carolinaians and americans is this larger notion about doing something on the tipping point that our civilization now finds itself. we have 40% of every dollar borrowed to sustain government. we have a fed that buys 75% of what the treasury spends every year. where we have a congressional budget office that says in just 12 years we will only have enough to pay for interest and entitled and nothing else. >> now, if you watch way too early you know that already. elizabeth colbert-bush. the sister of stephen colbert. she stressed the importance

mark sanford did something very important.carolina are building to forgive adultery as long as you have sufficient hatred for gay people. doesn't harry reid remind you of one of those s & m layoffs because they keep getting pummeled. he repeatedly promised he would reenact filibuster reform and then he crumbled you like that inflatable guy outside of a car dealership. then we talked about harry reid was going to let the assault weapons ban die in the senate. we all knew it was going to happen despite the fact that the majority of americans 57% not that that means anything in democracy but the assault weapons ban is supported by sylvester stallone and ronald reagan. two guys i never thought to see to harried reid's left. and he felt so bad that he let this ban fail, i know you're terrified of the nra turning on you and giving a low rating. you almost lost your senate seat

you remember mark sanford. trail with his argentinean mistress. left his wife. but redemption may finally be his. is he on the way to winning back a political office? and then finally, this has been my favorite story for days now. i'm a huge basketball fan. adrian gantly was one of the best players of the 1980s. this guy scored a ton of points. we're talking to him live. there's now he's a crossing guard in maryland. you know, he says he doesn't need the money. he just wants to work. >> he worked out all day and one of his friends said to him, you know, being a crossing guard is a great, great job. you get health care benefits. >> and one hour a day. >> he was a basketball player so he has long arms. >> think how cool for those kids. >> he's well suited for the job. >> we're looking forward to that. thank you. >> all right. 45 minutes past the hour. finally i guess it's spring today but it certainly doesn't feel like it. let's check in with jennifer delgado. what's going on, girl? >> zoraida, everything is goin

mark sanford apologized, finished his term as governor and withdrew from public life for two years. now he is back, trying to win back the public's trust and respect by trying to win back the congressional seat that he once held for three terms. mr. hiking the trail is only one of 16 republicans trying for that seat. the others include the son of media mogul ted turner, his name is teddy, which makes ted turner hard to forget. mark sanford is the frontrunner in the primary, but unless he gets more than 50% of the vote in a field of 16 candidates, then it will be a runoff. he and who comes in second will have a runoff next month. the polls open tomorrow at 7:00 a.m. in south carolina. this is the first federal election in south carolina since they passed a law requiring photo id. justice department personnel will be monitoring to be sure they're in compliance with the voting rights act and we will be watching, too. results tomorrow night. >>> time for the "the last word with lawrence o'donnell." thanks for being with us. >>> good evening from washington where the chairman of the repu

reporter: fred, after he was left for dead in the political wilderness here in south carolina, mark sanfordmeback kid. sanford finished way out in front of 15 other republican opponents in what was sometimes a nasty and heated gop primary. but because he failed to capture more than 50% of the vote, he'll have to compete in a runoff against one of his challengers named curtis bostik still nearly after being forced out of his governor's office four years ago after misleading voters about an extramarital affair, it's a remarkable turnaround for the former governor, one he talked about us last night. here's what he had to say. >> you guys will come up with your own definitions on these things and we'll not interrupt -- what i learned a long time ago is the media's going to do what the media's going to do. >> sure. but this must feel like redemption. >> it's incredibly humbling. as i just said. on many different levels what you suggest. and a lot of other issues. so it's been a remarkable journey and i feel blessed to be back. >> but sanford's comeback is not a sure thing just yet. he'll have to

. >>> still ahead, nearly 20 years ago, mark sanford was first elected to congress.to go back. we're going to break down the crowded and competitive and colorful race in south carolina. more "morning joe" when we come back. what's next? he's going to apply testosterone to his underarm. axiron, the only underarm treatment for low t, can restore testosterone levels back to normal in most men. axiron is not for use in women or anyone younger than 18. axiron can transfer to others through direct contact. women, especially those who are or who may become pregnant, and children should avoid contact where axiron is applied as unexpected signs of puberty in children or changes in body hair or increased acne in women may occur. report these signs and symptoms to your doctor if they occur. tell your doctor about all medical conditions and medications. do not use if you have prostate or breast cancer. serious side effects could include increased risk of prostate cancer; worsening prostate symptoms; decreased sperm count; ankle, feet, or body swelling; enlarged or painful breast

mark sanford seeking redemption himself.peting in today's special gop primary in south carolina's first congressional district. first campaign since 2009 he kind of vanished from the state, ultimately admitted he was lying about his whereabouts, because he was covering up an affair. and jim acosta in charleston, south carolina, this morning. good morning. >> reporter: good morning, soledad. former south carolina governor mark sanford trying to make the transition from the appalachian trail to the political comeback trail. he has to get past a field of 20 different candidates and hardly the biggest name in the race. >> good to see you. >> reporter: in south carolina, mark sanford needs no introduction, but after the former governor of this state famously tried to cover up an affair by falsely telling the public he was hiking the appalachian trail. >> i've been unfaithful to my wife. >> reporter: a reconstructiintr couldn't hurt. he is asking voter forces a second chance to win his old congressional seat. >> reporter: why shou

but a paperwork snafu meant the whole thing never went through. >>> next, the mark sanford saga getsweirder. this is, of course, the mark sanford who is trying to make a political comeback after that bizarre incident during his stint as governor of south carolina. some thought he was off hiking the appalachian trail, but he was really in argentina having an extramarital affair. now he's running for congress and according to "new york magazine" he had a proposition for his ex-wife, jenny sanford, who helped with his previous campaign. quote, since you're not running, i want to know if you'll run my campaign, he said. we could put the team back together. jenny told him in so many words that wasn't going to happen. mark made one last appeal, quote, i could pay you this time, he said. can't say it's a huge surprise that he took a pass, but the request -- that she took a pass, but the request itself a little jaw-dropping. >>> neck, what do americans really think of this massive overhaul of spending cuts that took effect on friday? gallup put the responses to that question in a word cloud.

we'll check in with our kelly o'donnell on mark sanford. we just showed you the video.re there for me, right? >> reporter: i can hear you, thomas. i'm not sure you can see me. >> yes, i can see and hear you and it looks like you have beautiful trees in south carolina behind you. let's talk about south carolina. it is primary day down there. mark sanford been getting a lot of press and a lot of the coverage i've been reading about is this is going to be a street fight for how this will advance. >> well, this is one of those occasions, thomas, where the sheer number of candidates makes this so unpredictable. it's rare to have an opening like this in south carolina politics where people in office tend to stay a long time. so 16 republicans jumped in, including the former governor, and his case is particularly noteworthy because he had the very public personal affair and that was such a difficulty at the final bid of his term as governor where he was a national headline. it was so difficult. he sort of dropped out of public sight after that and he was putting himself forwar

this flyer mailed out to voters takes aim at former governor mark sanford over the extra marital affair hide by saying he was hiking the appalachian trail. it reads "we know where this trail leads." after voting, sanford once again acknowledged his mistakes. >> life is a series of course corrections. some days you get right and you surprise yourself on how right you get it. other days you disappoint yourself and a lot of others. >> reporter: with sanford the favorite on a ballot of 16 gop candidates this primary day, it's getting down and dirty. rivals like teddy turner the son of cnn founder ted turner say the ex-governor's transgressions are fair game. >> i think his past should be held against him. >> reporter: turner has taken his own share of hits. look closely at this flyer which asks do you know the real teddy turner? there is a picture of one of his father's ex-wives movie star jane fonda and these conservative parts, ouch. >> name recognition, if you're mark sanford he's got a lot of that. >> so do you. >> i have some but it doesn't always work in my favor. >> reporter: another

one of the republican candidates is mark sanford and he has appeared to clear his first hurdle for ato politics. >> maybe with 99% reporting in south carolina, governor mark sanford is leading the opposition trail by 30%, however, he needed to get over 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff. now, looks like there will be a runoff and that will happen on april 2nd. the democrat in the race will be elizabeth busch. yes, she is steven colbert's sister and won easily. she cleared the 50% hurdle and then some. she will be in the general election. that's your update on election day today. but we will be right back. >>> we have a news update for you as promised. today was election day in the great state of south carolina. poll closed in south carolina roughly three hours ago. it is the special election to fill the tim scott congressional seat. he is now a senator. they moved him to the senate when jim demint resigned to run the heritage foundation. that left tim scott's seat in congress open and today was the primary to figure who was going to get to run for it. the most interesting thing is tha

has the state of south carolina forgiven mark sanford for running off with his argentinean girlfrienduth carolina as the bible belt. that certainly is true. it would not have been possible if he were running for statewide office. sanford is lucky this is a custom fit low country congressional district for him that runs along the state's coast. what you have is a lot of transplants. a lot of retirees. people who aren't from south carolina and are a little more forgiving when it comes to social issues. so he's got the upper hand. >> upper hand, gina, but do you think name recognition has helped him a lot here? because do his stances appeal so much to the voters that he's now the front-runner for this seat? >> absolutely. the name i.d. he came in with everybody -- i think his name i.d. is something like 98%, 99% in the state. everybody knows who he is. and the other advantage that he had, alex, is all the republicans are singing off the same songbook. it's a lot of talk about, you know, debt reduction, limited government, limited spending, and mark sanford owns that issue. that is his re

where voters will decide if they want to put mark sanford back on the ballot.th a new video released yesterday that's sure to please many in the democratic base. it's not just fueling speculation -- >> she just -- >> what? she's running, but she wanted just in case people came up to her and didn't know what her position was -- she wanted to clarify. >> if anyone needs the answer to the question, she is. thank you, we'll be right back. >>> i've cut spending, reduced debt and made government more accountable. more recently, i've experienced how none of us go through life without mistakes. but in their wake, we can learn about grace, a god of second chances and be the better for it. in that light, i humbly step forward and ask for your help in changing washington. >>> i'm sorry for all the mistakes i've made. sugar, just give me one more chance. >> break up with career politicians, the right guy, teddy turner, conservative republican, economics teacher, not politician. >> wow. today's primary day in south carolina where 18 republican candidates -- >> 18. >> that's

but mark sanford has some pretty tough competition. >>> plus harrison ford on the hot seat. why indiana jones is testifying before congress. >>> and -- >> you pushed the envelope. i'm sure it offends some people. >> the hit show girl, lily tomlin says it's too sexual. my hot topics panel faces off. hi there, beginning here with breaking news on this afternoon, the first bit coming out of indianapolis. here's what we know. the indiana university purdue campus is on lockdown after a report of a gunman. the campus is in downtown indianapolis. the school sent just out the tweet telling folks to seek shelter and specifically saying this man with a long gun has been spotted. we're monitoring that situation for you out of indianapolis. but i have to pass this along, as well, word of another shooting, different state, pennsylvania. this is at a hospital in allentown. this is the lee lehigh valley hospital. this took place on the fourth floor in a hospice wing. police say this is not an active shooter situation. so of course as soon as we get more information, i promise we'll pass it

there were 16 people in this race and said we will vote with anyone except for mark sanford.in politics. let's give him a 20% chance of winning. if he wins the runoff, he's against colbert bush. then only then does she have a chance of winning. >>> kurt, before we go, in your expert opinion is being the sister of stephen colbert a liability or plus. >> for us it's definitely a plus. it's the sister of a fictional character running against a man who might as well be a fictional character. >> so brilliantly put. kurt, thank you for coming on the program. >>> thank you for the rest of my panel. that is all for now. see you back here tomorrow at noon eastern when i'm joined by karen finney, david wolfe, and the new republic's dan byrne bomb. on a walk, walk, walk. love to walk. yeah, we found that wonderful thing. and you smiled. and threw it. and i decided i would never, ever leave it anywhere. because that wonderful, bouncy, roll-around thing... had made you play. and that... had made you smile. [ announcer ] beneful. play. it's good for you. try align. it's the number one ge r

if she wins, she could be up against mark sanford. yes, that mark sanford from the appalachian trail. >>> 23 in a row! >> lebron james, gives miami a two-point lead. >> the heat is definitely on. >> this is a hostile environment, for to us come in and get a big road win on the road, awesome. >> you're live in the cnn newsroom. >>> good morning. thank you for joining me. i'm carol cosstello. steubenville, ohio, two teenagers due in court accused of making online threats in the explosive rape case. the latest ripple in a case that blown the town apart. the victim raped by two high school ftball players, two local girls, one 15, the other 16, spent the night in juvenile detention. the victim's mother is pleading for calm and compassion. >> my family and i are hopeful that we can put this horrible ordeal behind us. we need and deserve to focus on our daughter's future. we hope that from this, something good good can arise. i feel i have an opportunity to bring an awareness to others, possibly change the mentality of a youth or help a pare

one of the republican candidates is mark sanford and he has appeared to clear his first hurdle for amaybe with 99% reporting in south carolina, governor mark sanford is leading the opposition trail by 30%, however, he needed to get over 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff. now, looks like there will be a runoff and that will happen on april 2nd. the democrat in the race will be elizabeth busch. yes, she is steven colbert's sister and won easily. she cleared the 50% hurdle and then some. she will be in the general election. that's your update on election day today. but we will be right back. mallon brothers magic? ♪ [ male announcer ] staples has always made getting office supplies easy. ♪ another laptop? don't ask. disappear! abracadabra! alakazam! [ male announcer ] and now we're making it easier to get everything for your business. and for my greatest trick! enough! [ male announcer ] because whatever you need, we'll have it or find it, and get it to you fast. staples. that was easy. ♪ we'll have it or find it, and get it to you fast. twith blackberry hub10 and flick typing. built to

former governor mark sanford asked his ex-wife to be his campaign manager. there was some early talk that jenny might start a campaign of her own, but jenny opted not to run. she said no to this offer, even after he made one final appeal, saying he's pay her this time. now for a stranger story, former nba star dennis rodman returned from his trip with a message to president obama. he told abc's george stephanopoulos that kim jong-un wants a phone call from president obama. >> he wants obama to do one thing. call him. he loves basketball. and i said the same thing. i said, became loves basketball. let's start there. let's start there. >> rodman called kim jong-un a very humble man who doesn't want war. rodman is the first american man to meet the newest leader of north korea. he went to film a documentary with vice media. hey, we used baseball with the cubans. why not basketball? taking a deep dive in one of the most corners of that country and of the world. it's a hot bed of activity and the last pliace many believe osama bin laden was hiding. she's going to

one of the republican candidates is mark sanford and he has appeared to clear his first hurdle for abe. with 99% reporting in south carolina, governor mark sanford is leading the appalacian trail by 30%, however, he needed to get over 50% of the vote to avoid a runoff. now, looks like there will be a runoff and that will happen on april 2nd. the democrat in the race will be elizabeth colbert busch. yes, she is steven colbert's sister and won easily. she cleared the 50% hurdle and then some. she will be in the general election. that's your update on election day today. but we will be right back. the only thing we'd ever grown together was a record collection. no. there was that fuzzy stuff on the gouda. [ both ] ugh! when it came to our plants... we were so confused. how much is too much water? too little? until we got miracle-gro moisture control. it does what basic soils don't by absorbing more water, so it's there when plants need it. yeah, they're bigger and more beautiful. guaranteed. in pots. in the ground. in a ukulele. are you kidding me? that was my idea. with the right soil.

i asked mark sanford last night at his victory party whether he feels like he's the state's comeback kid. here's what he had to say. >> well, you guys come up with all your own definitions on these things. we'll not interrupt -- you know, what i learned a long time ago, the media is going to do what the media is going to do. >> reporter: but this must feel like redemption? >> it's incredibly helpful at many different levels of what you suggest so it's been a remarkable journey and i just blessed to be here. >> reporter: now, he is not exactly the republican nominee just yet. as you said just a few moments ago, carol, he does have to face off in a runoff against whoever is the number two opponent in this race. there was not a clear second place finisher last night. there were two candidates who were really neck in neck for that second place slot. once that is sorted out, this may trigger an automatic recount unless one of those two candidates backs out. that runoff will occur in less than two weeks from today and as you said just a few moments ago, he'll have to go up against the sist

we saw mark sanford running for a congressional seat after he was caught publicly cheating on his wifener he may make a comeback after getting caught sending racy pictures to women other than his wife. how do these guys, i mean how do they find favor again? >> i think, christi, they're like jason from "friday the 13th" movies, you can't kill them like political zoombies. every time you think they're dead they're walking around. anthony weiner spent $100,000 on polling to see about running for mayor of new york this year. people remember he resigned because he accidentally tweeted pictures of himself in his underwear out. apparently he's learned how to use twitter and wants to run for mayor. south carolina mark sanford is actually a candidate for a house seat, special election vote is next week and he's the leading republican. if he wins the nomination he's probably back in the house. so these guys are back and i don't think they're ever going to go away. you'll see this over and over. >> do you think the comeback can work? >> i think overall as americans we're forgiving people. if you

today it's south carolina's first congressional district where former governor mark sanford is tryingmake a political come back. >> you step in with more than a bit of fear and trepidation. you knew you blue it and everybody knows you did. it's been out there. i don't know whether i am to win or lose, but i feel like i'm supposed to be crawling back on to this larger playing field i stepped away from for a couple of years. >> sanford faces 15 fellow republicans to fill tim scott's old house seat. this is just round one. nbc's kelly o'donnell joins us. kelly, sanford got the status after his ex-wife said she would not run for the same seat. they theeld to you. tell us what will happen here. you should win this run off and no slam yunk that he would win it after that. >> with so many candidates, it's hard to know where the numbers will break beyond sanford and how well he will do. there is this presumption when you talk to voters. people say they like what he did as governor and they are willing to forgive his personal mistakes. you heart in our interview, he has been very open about hi

one of them is mark sanford, the former governor of south carolina.eld that seat. and also in that race is teddy turner, the son of the billionaire founder of the other cable channel, cable news channel out there. and again, if neither one, or no one in that gop primary gets 50%, there is a special. then there is a run-off and that takes place on april 2nd. >> and on the democratic side, you've got stephen colbert. >> his hastert. elizabeth colbert bush. different pronunciation, same family. looking at the republican side, tell me that mark san ford didn't get his former wife to be his campaign manager. >> it was out there but that did not take place. that did not happen. but mark sanford is the leading gop contender. >> no comment on that. jonathan capehart, thank you very much. that does it for this edition of "andrea mitchell reports." and i'll be traveling. join us this wednesday and thursday live from israel as we travel to cover president obama and secretary kerry in the middle east. remember to follow the show online and on twitter @mitchell re

we'll see whether karen is right and whether this, you know, largely republican district, which mark sanfordis seat. >> yes. >> when he was in the house. whether they will be willing to send this hiking adulterer back to congress. >> i can't wait to hear what he says in writing. thank you, both. >> thanks, martin. >>> next, it's personal this time. at least for bill o'reilly, that is. stay with us. we've all had those moments. when you lost the thing you can't believe you lost. when what you just bought, just broke. or when you have a little trouble a long way from home... as an american express cardmember you can expect some help. but what you might not expect, is you can get all this with a prepaid card. spends like cash. feels like membership. are proven to be effective pain relievers. tylenol works by blocking pain signals to your brain. bayer advanced aspirin blocks pain at the site. try the power of bayer advanced aspirin. try the power but that doesn't mean i don't want to make money.stor. i love making money. i try to be smart with my investments. i also try to keep my costs down. wh

. >>> meantime, mark sanford has completed phase one of his improbable comeback.jokes, he finished first last night among 16 republican candidates with an impressive 37% of the vote. and he's advanced to next month's republican runoff for an open congressional seat. over on the democratic side, elizabeth colbert-bush easily won the democratic primary. >>> now sanford's showing leads us to the question, what separates the political wrecks from the rebounders? >> indeed i did have a relationship with ms. lewinski that wasn't appropriate. >> i have not been honest with myself, my family, my constituents, my friends, and supporters and the media. >> here to talk about political comebacks, democratic strategist and former edwards campaign communications director chris kafinas. good morning to you both. >> thanks for having me. >> so, kristen, sanford was having an extramarital affair with an argentinian woman. hiking in the appalachian trail became synonymous with cheating for a while. did you think you'd ever see this? what we saw last night? >> i didn't think so. but

. >>> first leg of mark sanford's shot at political redemption is complete.e easily clenched a spot in the runoff for the charleston area congressional seat. what is still unclear who his opponent will be. following thin voter turnout, bostic and grooms separated less than 1%. now sanford will try to cobble together support for those who voted for other candidates in what was a packed field flanked by his sons, sanford invoked the importance of putting the country's financial house in order. >> at the end of the day, what we are all fighting for as fellow south carolinians and doing something on the tipping point that our civilization now finds itself. wherein, we have 40 cents of every dollar barred to sustain government. where we have a fed that buys 75% of what the treasury spends every year. where we have a congressional budget office that says in just 12 years, we will only have enough to pay for interest and entitlement and nothing else. >> the winner will meet democrat elizabeth colbert busch the sister of stephen colbert in may. >> she is a different

the report from new york magazine mark sanford asked his ex-wife, jenny, to manage his u.s.re were early talks that jenny might start a campaign of her own, but she chose not to run. she also opted to say no to this latest offer, even after he offered to pay her. and if you saw saturday night live this weekend, you saw the not ready for prime time players play out the latest measure on the sequester drama. they did it with an lgbt musical twist. >> these cuts will affect our military, our civil service, federal construction projects. even grants to native americans and i'm the one who has to tell these folks, young men, there's no need to -- young men, get yourself off the ground. young men, just because you're funning it now, there is no need to be unhappy. >> you probably know how the rest of it goes. that's going to wrap things up for me today. 50i8 see you back here tomorrow. joining me then, ed rendell. but now with alex wagner comes your way or the next hour. >> thomas, if the president had done an event with the village people in the background, maybe we wouldn't have

phillips'. >>> in south carolina, mark sanford is the latest political comeback kid. scandal plagued former governor trounsed a field of 15 opponents for tim scott's vacant congressional seat. but since he failed to clear the 50% bar, he's going to have to face an april 2nd runoff. whoever wins that race, though, will square off against democratic opponent elizabeth colbert bush, the sister of stephen colbert. she beat her only opponent by a landslide. let's bring in today's power panel. welcome to the three of you. >> great to be here. >> thanks. >> david, i'm going to just talk about surprise here. how surprised are you at this election? and what do you think is going to happen next? >> well, it's become very interesting all of a sudden, you have a celebrity sort of on one side, related to a celebrity and then you have, you know, sanchez -- sanford's victory that makes a point that there's no final -- there's never a final chapter in politics. and the fact he can come back after what happened when he was governor how he left in disgrace there and has his wife -- ask

we talk about mark sanford and maybe marrying the mistress helped in that situation. don't think anybody would advocate that bill clinton handled this right. he lied under oath. he was hypocrite, a coward in many cases. and still emerged absolutely to be someone that most people really admire. as i was thinking about this, though, i'm wondering -- i rarely hear that someone like john edwards can come back. we have seen eliot spitzer rebrand. i would argue that maybe even anthony weiner could come back. i think petraeus could definitely come back. i don't think people feel that way about john edwards. i'm not sure why. maybe all of the circumstances around that. but he might just be in the dust bin -- >> yeah. what weiner did is fund manically different and something most americans wouldn't do as far as sexting pictures to girls. >> that was weird. >> he wasn't well liked. >> even though his thing was weird and people were creeped o out and he did not hand tell well, i think he could come back. with edwards, there is a limit. his wife was dying of cancer. he asked his

however, tomorrower governor mark sanford leads a pack of contenders which will be wide bell -- widdled down in a runoff in a few weeks. >>> a new study suggests more than 180,000 people are killed every year because of sugary drin drinks. researchers from harvard used data from health surveys across the thelobe, and they say sugary drinks linked to thousands of deaths from heart disease, diabetes and cancer. they say they made leaps to connect ments to the beverages. >>> new at 11:00, hugs and cookies are no longer allowed at some public schools in maryland. in an effort to increase student safety, parents and volunteers are banned from hugging or touching children who are not their own. and all homemade treats are banned from classes in response to concerns about food allergies. also off limits, handing out birthday invitations at school. the new rules cover 8,000 students in 17 elementary schools. wow. >>> we are still seeing showers tonight and more rain is on the way. >> meteorologist sandhya patel is tracking it all for you on live doppler 7hd. >> dan and carolyn, we are not done

however, tomorrower governor mark sanford leads a pack of contenders which will be wide bell -- widdled down in a runoff in a few weeks. >>> a new study suggests more than 180,000 people are killed every year because of sugary drinks. researchers from harvard used data from health surveys across the the globe, and they say sugary drinks linked to thousands of deaths from heart disease, diabetes and cancer. they say they made leaps to connect the ailments to the beverages. >>> new at 11:00, hugs and cookies are no longer allowed at some public schools in maryland. in an effort to increase student safety, parents and volunteers are banned from hugging or touching children who are not their own. and all homemade treats are banned from classes in response to concerns about food allergies. also off limits, handing out birthday invitations at school. the new rules cover 8,000 students in 17 elementary schools. wow. >>> we are still seeing showers tonight and more rain is on the way. >> meteorologist sandhya patel is tracking it all for you on live doppler 7hd. >> dan and carolyn, we are not d