OVER 2/3 OF EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE SAID DISGRACED GOVERNOR SHOULD GO

The tide of support from his own Republican Party officially turned against disgraced Gov. Mark Sanford Thursday as the South Carolina GOP called for his resignation.

South Carolina Republican Chairman Karen Floyd and the state party’s executive committee held a 5 p.m. conference call before announcing that they had decided it was time for Sanford to go.

SCGOP spokesman Ryan Meerstein said over two-thirds of those voting favored the governor’s resignation. He added that a letter from Floyd to the governor would be released later in the evening.

Sanford has come under increasing pressure to resign after allegations that he used state aircraft for personal travel, violated state law by using high-priced airfare, and didn’t report the use of private aircraft. The State Ethics Commission is investigating the claims and is expected to release it’s findings soon.

On Tuesday, House Speaker Bobby Harrell called for the governor’s resignation, saying, “for the good of our state, Sanford should step aside.”

The following day, the State House Republican Caucus sent Sanford a letter signed by 61 or 73 members asking that he resign.

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UPDATE: Here’s the full text of Floyd’s letter to Sanford:

Dear Governor Sanford,

On behalf of the Executive Committee of the South Carolina Republican Party, I am writing to formally request your
resignation. While this is one of the most difficult letters I have ever had to write, it is also one of the most important.

Along with many other Republican activists and grassroots leaders across our state, I have respected and admired your tireless advocacy for many of the issues we as a Party hold dear – lower taxes, limited spending, government efficiency and education reform, among others. You have been regarded as a clear and consistent voice for conservative reforms that are so desperately needed in our state and nation, and that should not be forgotten.

After your press conference on June 24, 2009, the Executive Committee believed censuring you, rather than calling for your resignation, was an appropriate course of action. At that juncture, you seemed genuinely contrite, committed to making amends and ready to focus on the critical issues facing our state in difficult economic times. You also pledged to work tirelessly to accomplish positive results for South Carolina during the final months of your term. Sadly, since then, the controversy surrounding your behavior in office is now a growing distraction. Critical problems facing our state have been neglected, while you devote significant time and effort to defending yourself. When we badly need to focus on job creation, economic development and other reforms, your actions have led to an atmosphere that makes it impossible for you to advance our state in a positive manner. Spending the rest of your administration on defense provides fodder for political opponents that damages the Party as a whole and our candidates individually – something I cannot abide in my role as Party Chairman.

We recognize that there is an ongoing investigation underway by the State Ethics Commission into the question of whether, in fact, you have violated any laws and, if so, whether those violations rise to the level of impeachable crimes.

That is a legal process. As an Executive Committee, we are not suggesting that you should or should not be impeached.

That is a matter for the General Assembly to assess judiciously under the Constitution and the laws of South Carolina, a process that could take months to resolve. Our state simply cannot wait until it concludes before moving forward.

History judges leaders for their ability to put the needs of others first. In that spirit, we respectfully call on you to place the public interest ahead of all other considerations and offer your resignation. Only then will our State be able to move forward.

Sincerely,

Karen K. Floyd, Chairman