Mark Sanford campaigns on Hilton Head and Bluffton in South Carolina Senate primary

Former South Carolina governor and U.S. House member Mark Sanford is intensifying his bid for the Republican nomination to the U.S. Senate. On August 7 he will hold three campaign stops in the Lowcountry—first at Java Burrito on Hilton Head Island, then at Bluffton BBQ and finally at Jack Frost Ice Cream in Bluffton—as part of a "Road to Washington" tour aimed at meeting voters and the press.

Sanford is also reviving a past stunt by bringing two piglets to a press conference, echoing a 2004 protest against state‑level budget cuts. He says the pigs illustrate what he calls a national affordability crisis and the need for lawmakers in Washington to resist endless spending. Recent polls show Sanford trailing the incumbent Republican Sen. Darline Graham, with a runoff scheduled for August 25.