CALLS FOR SANFORD RESIGNATION ABOUT MORALITY, CRITICS SAY | POLL: HALF OF STATE WANTS HIM TO STAY IN OFFICE

With Tuesday’s extra revelations about Gov. Mark Sanford’s philandering, calls for his resignation have begun to increase.

Ten Republican senators publicly called for the governor to step down after Sanford told the Associated Press that he had “physical contact” with women other than his Argentine mistress — whom he called his “soul mate” — but didn’t have sex with them, and that he had taken additional trips to the South American country.

But a few people are taking a more rational approach: Wait to see the results of a State Law Enforcement Division investigation, requested by Attorney General Henry McMaster after the new revelations, before passing judgment on the governor.

“Whether he’s had a girlfriend or had other relationships in his private life, that’s his business,” said State Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell (R-Charleston). “I don’t think the legislature should try to be a moral police force.”

And that is exactly how some view the resignation requests, as moral castigation.

“If that SLED review shows [Sanford] directly misused or abused public funds to meet a woman or women for an affair, then he should probably leave office,” one political insider said. “Otherwise, there’s no real reason he would have step down if the people of this state don’t want him to.”

For now, it appears, the people don’t want Sanford to resign.

An InsiderAdvantage poll of 949 registered South Carolina voters showed that 49.8 percent wanted Sanford to stay in office, while only 41.4 percent thought he should resign. Among GOP voters, 62.7 percent believed Sanford should stay governor.

It should be noted, however, that the poll was conducted prior to Sanford’s AP interview.