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Does South Carolina Hold Another, More Shocking Sex Scandal Than That of Gov. Sanford?

09/01/09-by Bridgette P. LaVictoire
So far South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford has refused to leave office. Recently his lieutenant governor one Andre Bauer has demanded Sanford resign, but to no avail. The question of course is why. Why has not Gov. Sanford resigned in the face of a burgeoning and difficult sex scandal? Part of it might have to do with rumors that are surrounding Lieut. Gov. Bauer. Now those rumors are coming from more and more reliable sources. According to these rumors Lieut. Gov. Bauer is a closet homosexual. These rumors have been circulating in South Carolina for some time now, but they are beginning to gain more national traction largely due to the stubbornness of Gov. Sanford regarding his resignation. There is a certain level of fear in the South Carolina power structure that is Lieut. Gov. Bauer were to become governor this secret would come out, and even if untrue would result greater damage to the South Carolina Republican Party than Gov. Sanford’s multinational indiscretions.

BlogActive is reporting that part of the reason why Gov. Sanford is not going to resign or likely to be impeached is due to Lieut. Gov. Bower’s personal indiscretions with several men. According to the gentleman at BlogActive, he met with several sources who were personally connected to Lieut. Gov. Bauer including one who has stated that he had sexual relations with the lieutenant governor. However, he is stated that he did not feel that one person made for enough of a source to run with. So he continued looking for information and former staffers told him that Lieut. Gov. Bauer spent hours alone with men on three separate occasions between 2004 and 2007. The two former employees did not know each other, according to BlogActive, and did not coordinate.

BlogActive believes that there is little doubt as to the veracity of these sources, but until they are willing to go out on camera or other evidence surfaces, these need to be treated largely as rumor. However, given the situation it likely means that there will be larger difficulties for the Republican Party in South Carolina for the near future. They are already reeling from the sexual indiscretions of Mark Sanford and his association with the C-Street religious organization. Now they have to deal with the likelihood of having to keep a damaged and hypocritical governor while at the same time dealing with problems from the lieutenant governor’s own likely sexual hypocrisy creates a public relations nightmare for the Republican Party.

Bauer is an unmarried Christian Conservative who has been pushing traditional values for many years. If these rumors prove true, then there is the possibility that this will throw the South Carolina Republican Party into greater chaos.