courses, courses should be taught in the future on the way mark sanford ran his campaign. some people have got it. you can see why a guy like that gets elected. let's pretend mark is not here and talk about him. >> what i heard was that he worked really hard, he was good to his employees. >> mark, if we can let's talk about the value of honesty in political campaigns. i think a lot of people, no matter where they are in the ideological spectrum were struck by your honesty a few years ago when basically you said, you know, you went walking on the appalachian trail, but you fell in love, so you're out of public office. so when you make the decision to re-enter the fray, was there any fear of that honesty coming back and playing a perilous role in your political future? >> stephen: oh, that is in in-depth reporting. you know, woodward and bernstein may have had deep throat, but mike barnacle is doing something similar to mark sanford. [laughter] [cheers and applause] i hope mike can breathe through his nose 'cuz he's right. he's right. [ laughter ] when sanford finally resurfa

>> i mean, mark sanford is basically saying we ought to allow states to violate people's civil rights it state by state. that is something that mark and his ilk want to go back to, that would be prior to 1865, state by state they decided civil rights. sanford is afraid, he couches everything in that principle when in fact he's afraid to speak his mind. he's against gay marriage, he's said that on many occasions. he's against equal civil rights for gay couples. he's just afraid to say that. in charleston, there's tremendous huge gay community, many of whom vote republican. let's not forget, this district voted, gave 20 points, 20 point victory to romney over obama. it will be a tough race for elizabeth, but i think she's going to pull it off. >> after that, mark sanford was asked about the vote and doma, whether he would take that vote again. he channeled the spirit of bill clinton, said do you think president clinton should be condemned based on a mistake he made. he keeps going back to the forgiveness notion as a canned answer, rather than go on the record with an actual opinion it s

if you're advising a politician, mark sanford comes in and says i want to hire you for your sage advice. >> what are you doing? but once we got past. >> yes, in an alternate universe. >> he tried to hire jenny sanford to run his campaign. >> one thing that i find unbecoming and hard to understand are politicians who ask their spouses to stand with them as they admit to their, to their indes iscretions because it seems humiliating. that was a little, that was a little pea culiar. >> he was out there alone. >> i'm talking about trying to hire her to run the campaign seemed a bit odd. >> do you think betsy, that he has had to face enough criticism in the primary? and what's been interesting to me in looking at the races, it doesn't seem like he's really been raked over the coals for this. as you're watching from the outside, that guy, the appalachain trail guy? clearly, this will be a biggest thing in the campaign and looking at the campaign, the closest you can come to a direct attack is one of his primary opponents, the son of ted turner, ran this ad which was a kind of crypto attack on

so mark sanford with you in 1994 covered mark sanford's first election in the first district of south in washington covering him and his proclamation that he would sleep on the floor of his office and never get a permanent place in washington because he didn't want to become part of the establishment. now it strikes me if nothing is more like the establish of a guy who is accused of a sex scandal and then comes back to office. is he likely to win this seat? >> you know, ben, as you know, this is a very conservative part of the country. it was conservative when you were here. it's even more conservative now if that's possible. mr. sanford has a lot going for him. he's very conservative. he was the most conservative governor in the state when he was governor before his little pick dill lows game to light and people like the fact that he votes no, no, no. he says no to washington over and over. that's a big theme down here. tell washington, ben and cenk, where to go. tell washington to mind their own business. he does that very, very well. so i think a lot of people down here are willing

mark sanford made a lot of promises and broke them all.sanford says he's learned from his mistakes. the real question, will we? >> gene, how do you think that one is going to play? >> well, i think it's pretty good. i mean, look. mark sanford has been sank moanous over the years about family values, about his faith, which i'm sure is genuine. about absolutes. and so i would imagine democrats are going to throw that back at him and certainly are going to harp on the -- was it $74,000 in ethics fines that he had to pay as a result of his misdeeds while in office. >> south carolina political analyst eugene robinson, thank you very much for joining us tonight. >> great to be here. >>> coming up, there is an amazing sequel tonight to that video of kid president we showed the other day. and the politics of late-night. martin short returns to talk about the big change at the "tonight show." welcome to the new new york state. what's the "new" in the new new york? a new property tax cap... and the lowest middle class income tax rate in 60 years...

we forgive mark sanford not because mark sanford wants us to.stian christ calls you to forgive and you should forgive mark sanford. that's fine. that doesn't mean i want him serving in congress and representing me nationally. those two things are separate. i think the point of bill clinton was that's fine. i've forgiven bill clinton, too. he was my governor before he was your president. fact of the matter is i still didn't want him being president after that incident. still, mark is having a lot of problems down here. there's no big shift. i want this duly noted. i don't think there's a big shift in the electorate. i think it's just an ob stengs, saying, look, we know mark sanford. we've worked with mark sanford. we've seen him in action. i just don't necessarily know i want to put my name or neck on the line for a guy who -- who really did a poor job of shepherding his personal life or his professional life as governor. >> you know, it's a strange thing, ron, trying to figure out how the voters go on these things. you had vitter down in virgini

>>> up next, mark sanford wins his runoff. uld he be the only republican that could actually lose the open seat down in south carolina? could sanford be the only losing republican down there? you're watching "hardball," the place for politics. and need to get my car fixed? progressive makes it easy, because we give you choices. you can pick where to get your car fixed, we can cut you a check, or, at our service center, we take care of everything for you. [ relaxing music playing ] [ chuckles ] -whew, so many choices. -take your time. -the service center. -okay. giving you choices -- now, that's progressive. call or click today. thto fight chronic. osteoarthritis pain. to fight chronic low back pain. to take action. to take the next step. today, you will know you did something for your pain. cymbalta can help. cymbalta is a pain reliever fda-approved to manage chronic musculoskeletal pain. one non-narcotic pill a day, every day, can help reduce this pain. tell your doctor right away if your mood worsens, you have unusual changes

>>> up next, mark sanford wins his runoff. uld he be the only republican that could actually lose the open seat down in south carolina? could sanford be the only losing republican down there? you're watching "hardball," the place for politics. >>> welcome back to "hardball." when it comes to must see political contests they don't get much better or hotter than the special election may 7th. that's coming up for south carolina's first congressional district. on one side you have the political newby elizabeth colbert bush who happens to be the sister of comedy central star steve colbert. on the other side you have an infamous -- well, infamous former governor trying to make one of the most dramatic political comebacks in history. for many, mark sanford's legacy will forever be tied to his press conference when he confessed that he had been hiking in the appalachian trail, but rather was having an affair down in argentina with a woman down there. >> i would also apologize to my staff. because as much as i did talk about going to th

we consistently lost jobs under mark sanford.ntion the fact that our port that was second in the world when he took over, i think fell to 12th under his leadership because he refused to do anything about dredging down there. not to mention he was a road block for boeing. so there was some issue she's really could have tackle and hit him with that made him appear a whole lot more problematic as he was governor, no the to mention if he gets elected again. she did do a good job pointing out, i think, the clip that you just played. it's all about creating moments in debates. we know that she had a pretty good moment. there was a little bit clunky delivered. but i think she did a good job exposing the fact he is talk about the record he is a taxpayer hero. but at the end of the day, he used taxpayer dollars to see his mistress, that's a huge problem for him in south carolina. >> taxpayer dollar does see your mistress. hogan, the national republican party has sort of pulled its support fiscally speaking from sanford's campaign. but he'

he's back, mark sanford of the appalachian trail fame is about to win the republican primary. tonight, we'll talk to the head of the republican party in south carolina. >> people say you know mark, you certainly mess said up in your personal life. i've talked about it. cenk: going to have some success tonight. i can't believe the republicans are going to bring him back in. >>. now mat salmon is saying i haven't fully evolved on gay marriage even though his son is gay. we found a video of his son talking about that interfamily relationship. >> i didn't know if my family would ever come around. >> it doesn't mean that i don't sympathize with some of the wishes, it just means that i haven't evolved to that station. cenk: hmm. that tape of his son is amazing so come back more for that. down r. do you know what time it is anybody? anybody at all? oh right! it's go time. ♪ theme ♪ >> you know that famous moment off the the new town shooting when wane lapierre the head of the n.r.a. came out and said this? >> the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. >>

>>> up next, mark sanford wins his runoff. be the only republican that could actually lose the open seat down in south carolina? could sanford be the only losing republican down there? you're watching "hardball," the place for politics. [ male announcer ] if she keeps serving up sneezes... [ sneezing ] she may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec®. powerful allergy relief for adults and kids six years and older. zyrtec®. love the air. since aflac is helping with his expenses while he can't work, he can focus on his recovery. he doesn't have to worry so much about his mortgage, groceries, or even gas bills. kick! kick... feel it! feel it! feel it! nice work! ♪ you got it! you got it! yes! aflac's gonna help take care of his expenses. and us...we're gonna get him back in fighting shape. ♪ [ male announcer ] see what's happening behind the scenes at ducktherapy.com. [ babies crying ] surprise -- your house was built on an ancient burial ground. [ ghosts moaning ] surprise -- your car needs a new transmission. [ coyote howls

the headline "a person message from mark sanford." ending himself against his ex-wife's charge that he trespassed on her property. this is not from the onion, it's real. jenny sanford filed court documents in march accusing her ex-husband of entering her house without her permission. she says she found him using his cell phone as a flashlight as he left out her back door. and now the national republican congressional committee will not be engaged in this special election. there's not enough ad space in the world for sanford to explain this one. joining me now is dick harputlian, chairman of the south carolina democratic party. thanks for being here, dick. >> thank you, al. >> how are people in south carolina reacting to this ad? >> you know, mark sanford has humiliated, embarrassed the state for most of his political career. we thought we were done with him. then just like freddy krueger, he's back. this is a national humiliation for the state. i think, though, the state's going to prove that it is smarter than mark sanford and many of

[video clip] >> mark sanford walked out on us, violated our trust, secretly used thousands of taxpayer dollars lying to argentina, and then lying about it. republicans college misconduct and abuse of power, and sanford pay the largest fine in state history. now he wants our trust again. maybe mark sanford should just keep walking. host: we were in touch with the news directo one of the stations where there was supposed to be a televised debate. it is unclear whether there will be a debate before the may 7 election, but he indicated this is a pretty conservative district, and he could not see how elizabeth colewort busch could be elected. guest: this district lean so conservative, republican, that he was able to hold on to power. if you look at everything happening right now, the tresssingainst sanford, he is the slight underdog in this contest. the good news for republicans in this race, republicans cannot be blamed for saying -- it is too difficult for republicans, this is just a very bad story for republicans. it explains why republicans lost the seat as opposed to anything else. hos

it was mark sanford debating elizabeth colbert bush. 's congressional seat. and at this point colbert bush didn't bring up the elephant in the room. but last night, let's just say sanford wished the cardboard was back. >> when we talk about fiscal spending and we talk about protecting the taxpayers, it doesn't mean you take that money we saved and leave the country for a personal purpose. >> everybody needs to -- >> she -- she went there, governor sanford. >> i couldn't hear what she said. >> oh, yes. she did go there. that appalachian trail might be looking pretty good today. joining me now is dick harpotolian, chairman of the south carolina democratic party. thanks for being here tonight, dick. >> thank you, reverend al. >> you know, after not talking about the affair, she did go there in a big way last night. what do you make of the comment, chairman harpootlian? >> well, i think that mark sanford feigned deafness last night to not have to answer that question. we've always known he's politically deaf. maybe he's really deaf. the most

hey, let's talk, watelter, sayi earlier mark sanford, i know mark.sure, but he did exactly what the best in the business would tell you which is get it all out there. i remember this rambling interview he gave to an a.p. reporter and said this is what i am and what i do back when the scandal first broke. i thought he was crazy. it ended up people like him for throwing everything out there and saying i'm a human, i screwed up, i'm frail. >> we certainly sympathize are human beings. people all have their failings. that said, certain thing about his scandal that stick with it like a hiking in the appalachian trails. i think he is going to go down in bartlett's quotation more than in american history for things like that. >> but there are second acts in american life? >> there are second acts. what is interesting you guys have pointed out that he just decided to let it all hang out there for the voters, you know? he didn't like cringe and shrink away or leave it up to his handlers. but also personality in politics really goes a long way. there are certai

. >> and also the gift of mark sanford. they had a chance to send somebody else up against colbert-busch and it worked out that it was mark sanford, fantastic for colbert-busch. what about in the senate? >> mary landry just took a very courageous vote on background checks. and kay hagan, they are two very strong women who are likable, qualified, and more than deserving of being reelected. >> not only is mary landrieu a democratic candidate from a red state, she is also up for reelection. and that shows what a gutty call that was to make that call a week and a half ago. susan collins, senator from maine, republican senator from maine. she's a pretty moderate -- maybe among the most moderate senator on the republican side right now. it is worth having her reelected from a standpoint of a woman is it worth having her reelected or a democrat. >> i want a familiar -- feminist elected every time. if your vote is going to make progress in women's lives then you are the candidate for me. >> michael: so if it a democrat who is not t

mark sanford one step closer to trying to reclaim his former congressional seat. he defeated curtis bostic. the biggest, most significant surprise of the evening, the person standing next to him on stage, his former mistress and now fiance was there with him along with his mother and their sons. he spoke of forgiveness on his road to redemption. >> i want to thank my god. you know, i used to cringe when somebody said i want to thank my god. it was getting uncomfortable. once you really receive god's grace and seen it reflected in others, you cannot stop and stop for a moment and publicliage knowledge that grace and the difference he's made in my life and the difference he making in so many lives across this state and that nation and this campaign. god may be a god of second chances, voters are a little less forgiving. >>> coming up on "morning joe," a live interview with mark sanford. with us right now, the chief white house correspondent from politico, mike allen. thanks for getting up early today. as we look ahead to the showdown with elisabeth colbert, it could

the biggest difference between bill clinton and mark sanford, hillary clinton was beside her husbandghout. they still remain married. and what this race got turned upside down when jenny sanford, allegations came out of the tres passing charges, mark sanford in his ex-wife's home. that open up this whole can of worms. that's the biggest difference. when you have, you are a divorce politician running for office, you want to make sure the exspouse is fully on board. >> by the way today, senator rand paul endorsed mark sanford. he is hoping that will give him a boost. >>> testimony getting underway in the michael jackson wrongful death lawsuit against the company promoting what was supposed to be michael jackson's final concert. we'll have the latest, the trial that some say could be worth billions of dollars for the jackson family if they win. but first, there is a lot going on today and here are some thing we thought you should know. voters in massachusetts are picking democratic and republican candidates. ed markey and steve lynch are battling it out. >>> a republican side features t

we forgive mark sanford, not because mark sanford to but because if you're a christian christ calls yout him representing me nationally pip point of bill clinton is that's fine, i've forgiven bill clinton, too. he was my governor before he was your president. the fact of the matter is i still didn't want him being president after that interdent. mark is having a lot of problems down here. i don't think there's a big shift in the belief of the electorate toward something colbert-bush is doing. i don't necessarily want to put my name or neck on the line for a guy who really did a poor job of shepherding his personally or his professional life as governor. >> it's a strange thing, ron, trying to figure out how the voters go on this thing. you had witter in louisiana involved in professional sex workers, in d.c. and voters like him. they're talking about him for governor. in nevada it's legal to have those businesses out there, sex workers. and poor john gets picked out of politics. what are the rules, as bill maher would say, what are the new rules these days in. >> i don't know about davi

this is the district that mark sanford represented when he was in the house. this is his old district. so if anybody's going to forgive him for some moral misdeeds i think it's going to be this district. the one thing we're missing here, you know, the sex scandal is obviously the salacious, more interesting part of this whole thing. this is also the guy who had the highest ethics fine in the state's history that came out after this whole scandal unfolded. so if you had to ask me right now, i would say democrats will focus more on the ethics side of things than the moral side of things. i think that's a more fruitful argument particularly in a district that liked this guy and could be made to like him again. >> the road to redemption he's on again. let's talk about the road to hell being paved with twitter tweets and the fact that president obama politico's headline, obama's trash-talkers. look at this gang. they are some of the most infamous for being very opinionated on twitter and taking people on directly, politico's article saying they are offering an uneq

who knew that would be a factor. >> well, mark sanford had a tough week last week, lawrence. e he had to explain to the people what was going on. but can we just go back and remember that this whole thing started when he was in the app latch and trail. his father said he didn't think his son should have to watch the super bowl alone. now, trying to sound like a good father, maybe should have thought about that a few years ago, not to mention his kids, he did not introduce his children to the love of his life. they met on the stage on the night of the primary. we're talking about parenting, trying to make things right, sounds like he has work to do with his own family. >> so we do have polling on what the trespassing charge means. apparently 51% of likely voters say yeah, the trespassing accusations will effect my vote. >> i would imagine that this could be one of those situations, you know, usually in the mid term elections or elections like this, turnout is an issue. i am betting this might be one where people would be more than happy to go out and vote against such a fool. i

i congratulate mark sanford on a victory, but just remember, mark, you had never held office before you got elected to congress as well, and there are people in that base who had held office. so the fact that you've held office as opposed to someone who has not, that's not going to do it for you. what i think will do it in this race is that the people will get a contrast. they will get a vision for the future. just to be talking about what i did on deficit reduction, how i feel about the debt, that is not going to do it. i really believe that elizabeth colbert has a tremendous vision for the future. i've talked to her. i've known the family for a long time down in charleston, and i do believe that the vehicle that she lays out for the people in the first congressional district will in fact carry the day. i think that she's going to be successful on may 7th. >> just very briefly, mr. leader, how much do you think mark sanford's personal transgressions, what happened with his family, his marriage, in terms of disappearing from view as governor, how much should that, if at all, be an issue

mark sanford's political comeback trail may be coming to an end. with a special election for the first congressional district two weeks away now a new poll shows sanford trailing his opponent democrat elizabeth busch by nine. 50% for cobert busch 41% for sanford after national republicans announced they would no longer fund his campaign because he violated his divorce agreement entering his ex-wife's home without her permission. sanford took an unusual approach pleading with voters in his full page ad in a charleston newspaper. he writes it's been a rough week. though we may be public figures we are still human figures who struggle just as so many other families and divorced couples do in getting child rearing right as best you can. michael steele is the former chair of the rnc and msnbc political analyst and singt ya tucker a visiting professor from the university of georgia from atlanta. were you taken with the heart warming message from the former governor? i love -- that was -- can be quite a disciplinarian. fair enough. him speaking out the bac

you can hear more from mark sanford live in a few minutes.ks with jake tapper at 4:00 eastern on "the lead." >>> a moment that everyone is still talking about as louisville guard kevin ware's leg snapped on national tv. this hour we'll hear from ware and his mom about his injury and recovery. new car! hey! [squeals] ♪ [ewh!] [baby crying] the great thing about a subaru is you don't have to put up with that new car smell for long. introducing the versatile, all-new subaru forester. love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. how old is the oldest person you've known? we gave people a sticker and had them show us. we learned a lot of us have known someone who's lived well into their 90s. and that's a great thing. but even though we're living longer, one thing that hasn't changed: the official retirement age. ♪ the question is how do you make sure you have the money you need to enjoy all of these years. ♪ >>> imagine watching live tv anywhere you want, on your phone, on your ipad, right here, for $80 a year. i'm zain asher. this is your money. aer

former governor mark sanford thinks so. he clinched the republican nomination for the congressional seat he previously held for three terms. his argentinian fiance was by his side. >> i think there are too many people in politics that think that they know it all. i think they project this whole image of perfection. the perfect family, the perfect person. the perfect this. the reality is none of us are perfect. >> so do affairs event matter in politics? that's a big question. kevin, former senior adviser to mitt romney and ron brownstein, cnn political analyst. republicans are worried about this seat. they're worried he will not be able to keep it. >> yes, they are. and his answer is about as good a response of formulation that you can have in a situation. and voters have shown they are willing to forgive or look past this imperfection. having said all that, the specifics of the case make it it a big hill to climb. the republicans are concerned, at least temporarily. >> kevin, you worked for mitt romney. i hate to bring up b

ilyse hogue, thanks for joining us. >>> up next, mark sanford's political comeback. e bit of a hoot. god knows what this guy is up to. two weeks before the speshld election coming up quickly in south carolina, sanford trails, believe it, in south carolina, elizabeth colbert bush. stephen colbert's sister. he's nine weeks down. i don't think he's going to get too close to this victory. anyway, you're watching "hardball." the place for politics. [ moaning ] [ french accent ] antacid! sorry, i have gas. but you relieve gas, no? not me... that's his job. true. i relieve gas fast. [ moaning ] a little help? who's the gas xpert? [ antacid ] it's gas-x. by the armful? by the barrelful? the carful? how about...by the bowlful? campbell's soups give you nutrition, energy, and can help you keep a healthy weight. campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. >>> senator max baucus of montana is the latest democrat to announce he's not running for reelection. baucus made the announcements this morning. now the democrats will have an uphill battle certainly to keep the red state seat.

. >> max baucus lead in the caucus, mark sanford try to get in. >> where do you stand on stimulus? her answer would be very different from the way that i have stood for a while on the whole notion of bringing our financial house in order. >> mark sanford, a candidate for a cardboard debated cutout. his opponent will only give him one debate next week. you do not get any back talk when you do that. >> he was inspired by clint eastwood's performance of the chair of the republican national convention. right now, mark sanford is less popular in this district where mitt romney got 56% of the vote, than barack obama. the most popular figure in that district is not a elizabeth busch or any other democrat or republican, it is jenny sanford, and that is who he is running against, his former wife. she is not helping him, believe me. >> max baucus leaving the senate, can he be scared? >> it republicans have a good shot of taking his seat. there for the cause of the republicans taking control in the senate in 2014 just went up. max baucus was one of the most beloved members of the senate on th

mark sanford who won the runoff election in his first congressional district. he won the election without the assistance of his wife who declined to help in his campaign. we do not make this stuff up, friends. it comes to us as a gift. people with real job and i get to talk about this stuff. [laughter] >> i am incredibly skeptical of anything he says a i do not understand why he wants to be back in public office. i do not care who he sees. inyou do not believe redemption? >> not in his case. he likes to have people talk about him. >> his opponent will opponent willcolbert bush, -- will be elisabeth colbert bush. >> he has a good chance of being returned to office. he will marry the woman he ves. did somebody in england to that? -- do that? >> and he was pro-nazi. [laughter] >> he said he was incredibly gratified, and that is why he went to argentina. [laughter] >> there you are, sports fans. >> we know that stanford is not pro-na. people forgive. in a post-clinton aide, there is nothing remarkable about this. newake a look and this, a super pac designed to lure

but you've got mark sanford, i guess that was his kindergarten teacher in his ad.s he's been married. we know which way both are trying to persuade the voters there to think. >> mark sanford is really trying to lay out that he is a fiscal conservative. conservative on spending. a lot of issues that made him very famous when he was battling the obama administration in 2009. you've seen curtis bostick take social conservative approach. one of the analysis i've heard, that district right now is, it consists of a lot more economic conservatives than social conservatives, so advantage to mark sanford. >> switching to same-sex marriage, he says that same sex couple should have the right to civil marriage. our time on this earth is limited. i know that better than most. life comes down to who you love and who loves you back. government has no place in the middle. against senator mark kirk. on the flip side, mark, move on.org is now targeting seven democrats who still do not support same-sex marriage. >> i'm going to focus more on all the people who have evolved and come a

mark sanford has a long history of winning here.the attributes that just suggested in a positive light, i think, and here's the only danger of the congressional committees pulling out is i completely agree with dick's assessment of this race. this is going to be a close race. it shouldn't be this close. nikki haley won in 2010. mitt romney got 55%. this is not an even fair fight as it were. it's close because mark sanford has some unique personal issues. >> we're going to have to leave it there. walter whetsell and dick harpootlian. good to see you. >>> up next, more correspondents' dinners like this one from the lead over the free world. >> of course, even after i do all this, some folks still don't think i spend enough time with congress. why don't you get a drink with mitch mcconnell they ask. really? why don't you get a drink with mitch mcconnell. there's a reason no one says "easy like monday morning." sundays are the warrior's day to unplug and recharge. what if this feeling could last all week? with centurylink as your truste

pro-choice. >>> up next, mark sanford's political comeback. this is a little bit of a hoot. this guy is up to. just two weeks before the special election which is coming up quickly in south carolina, sanford trails, can you believe this, in south carolina. the democrat, elizabeth colbert busch, steve colbert's sister. he's nine weeks down. i don't think he's going to get too close to this victory. anyway, you're watching "hardball." the place for politics. ♪ [ agent smith ] i've found software that intrigues me. it appears it's an agent of good. ge has wired their medical hardware with innovative software to be in many places at the same time. using data to connect patients to software, to nurses to the right people and machines. ♪ helping hospitals treat people even better, while dramatically reducing waiting time. now a waiting room is just a room. [ telephone ringing ] [ static warbles ] [ beeping ] red or blue? ♪ >>> senator max baucus of montana is the latest democrat to announce he's not running for re-election. baucus made the announcements this morning. now the democr

former governor mark sanford is trying to make a political comeback. sanford faces charleston county councilman curtis bostic in the republican runoff for his old congressional seat. sanford finished with 37% of the vote to bostic's 13%. he has all the name and i.d. a candidate could ask for. he's favored to win today. he'll never count out surprises in american politics. bostic, counting on the support of evangelical voters in this district, is doing his best to capitalize on sanford's past sins. and while sanford runs on his fiscally conservative credentials and tries to explain them away, they met in a debate on thursday. >> the events of 2009 absolutely represent a failure on my part for which there were and will always be at some level consequences. but this does not mean because you've had a failure in your personal life that you cannot step back into life again. >> the whole show that should governor be the candidate facing the democrat we'll lose this seat and lose it needlessly because of this issue of trust. a compromised candidate is not what

this is the mark sanford apology tour. because it is important to south carolina voters, because they're more religious, this matters to them. by asking for their votes, he's asking for redemption. and the question -- this is generally a safe republican seat which may end up going to a democrat. stephen colbert's sister is running for the seat of democrat. and she's pulling ahead or even with him which is unheard of, because maybe she'll get the women's vote. the women in south carolina are not quite ready to vote for mark sanford. >> he'll lose a majority of the female vote. >> i think america as a whole is a forgiving nation. i understand the further you get away from a situation, the more people forget and forgive. this is wrong, in some people's minds, but i think we forgive. the man made a mistake. we're not going to make light of that, adultery is wrong. if you're looking at someone like bill clinton, who did it while in office. the highest office in our nation. people liked him, so i think he -- it was a little easi

i'll start with you, how bad is mark sanford's campaign.y with home political talent seems to have stepped in every trap set for him. >> he really has. it's been a particularly tough couple of likes for us. i think what this tells us and what republican operatives have known for a long time is that jen in sanford was the brains behind that operation and without her, he's reel been flailing. >> jenny sanford, northeastern pragmatic wall street person. he could do anything without her. >> this is simply just a holdover for 18 months. it's tough for dress to hold that seat. >> not necessarily. i would like to say he hasn't led a great campaign but elizabeth colbert bush has run a tough campaign. she was aggressive. she has a clear message. >> she's impressive. >> she's very impressive. and he's really run on i pro-business, pro-economic message. sanford, look, the republicans didn't get him out of the race. and i think that, you know, is a scary sign for recruiting down the road. there are 17 seats that the president won that republicans repre

we'll find out if mark sanford can complete his comeback and the run off race will be decided tonights close when we go to air. and i'll ask the g.o.p. chief about little indiscretions that mark sanford might have had including a mistress on the appalachian trails actually in argentina. and the power panel is back. >> michael: who is on the panel. >> cenk: i've got a conservative, a libertarian and a liberal. it will be awesome. >> michael: i have to mention one thing before i let you go. i understand it because i know this and i know you, "the young turks" online show is nearing 1 billion youtube hits. >> cenk: that is correct. the network is at 1.2 billion and the show itself is about to hit 1 billion. >> michael: i hope everybody who is watching this understands how extraordinary that is. you built it from nothing 1 billion hits. that's like everybody who watched charlie bit my finger, everyone has watched it already has watched it 400 times again. that's a lot. >> cenk: thank you mike, i appreciate that. >> michael: cenk, we'll talk soon. back to our business soon. president obama

dick dick, polled better against mark sanford than the other candidate. is this a good outcome for her? >> it is a clear, distinct, very contrasted choice on one hand, a business woman who has success in business, hasn't been in politics, who is beloved in the community, and on the other hand, a guy that's lied to south carolina time and time again. none of the republicans, especially bostic, the most recent opponent, ran any negative television or radio. and i think you're going to see independent expenditures and colbert busch campaign and the democratic party peeling the bark off him. and it is so easy to do. >> eugene, the national democrats have a decision to make about how much money to try to pump into the race. where do you think the outcome will be on that? >> well, it is worth putting a few bucks in to tell you the truth. normally you think of this deep in south carolina as basically a republican district and you'd say hard time winning this one. mark sanford with colbert busch, a very good candidate, i think they'll end up putting money into it

republican mark sanford. sanford has managed to do the impossible. become the underdog versus a democrat in a district that mitt romney won by 18 points. he's done this via an impressive aware of mitt cascalculations, reportedly asking his ex-wife to run his campaign and later allegedly trespassing at her house. then admitting to the trespassing in a full page display ad, but justifying his actions because it was the super bowl, after all. let's also not forget he awkwardly introduced the world and reportedly his son to his mistress turned fiancee the night he won the nomination. oh, and there was the time he got into a debate with a poster board cutout of nancy pelosi. yes, you heard me. >> let's have that conversation that i think is so vital to, again, not only the discussion of ideas, but ultimately finding conclusions. i mean, if at the end of the day you have an idea and i have an idea, but at the end of the day we can't -- how you doing? appreciate it. thank you. >> joining us now is jimmy williams, a democratic strategist and msnbc contributo