The Slatest

Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has released his first ad for the South Carolina 1st congressional district, noting his experience while acknowledging the scandal that destroyed his marriage and damaged his reputation.

"I've experienced how none of us go through life without mistakes, but in their wake we can learn a lot about grace, a God of second chances and be the better for it," Sanford says in the ad. "In that light, I humbly step forward and ask for your help in changing Washington.”

Sanford was seen as a rising political star in the Republican Party until he went to visit his “soulmate” in Argentina, María Belén Chapur, and told his staff he was hiking on the Appalachian Trail. Sanford and his wife later divorced and he is now engaged to Chapur. As his ad makes clear, Sanford is going to try to win over voters by making the election about federal spending and cutting government. USA Today points out it’s a message that helped Sanford win a House seat three times before he became governor.