Jenny Sanford

WASHINGTON - Two years after Mark Sanford left the South Carolina governor's office tarred by an adultery scandal, he has completed an unlikely political comeback to win a special congressional election, holding the seat for Republicans. Sanford defeated Democratic neophyte Elizabeth Colbert Busch, sister of the late-night satirist Stephen Colbert, in the Republican-leaning 1st Congressional District on Tuesday. He reclaims a House seat he once held for three terms. The bitter race had been expected to be tight, but the Associated Press called it just 90 minutes after the polls closed.

WASHINGTON - Two years after Mark Sanford left the South Carolina governor's office tarred by an adultery scandal, he has completed an unlikely political comeback to win a special congressional election, holding the seat for Republicans. Sanford defeated Democratic neophyte Elizabeth Colbert Busch, sister of the late-night satirist Stephen Colbert, in the Republican-leaning 1st Congressional District on Tuesday. He reclaims a House seat he once held for three terms. The bitter race had been expected to be tight, but the Associated Press called it just 90 minutes after the polls closed.

I believe it was my mother who first admonished me never to presume that "you know what really goes on in another person's marriage." Well, Mom, meet the Sanfords of South Carolina, whose odd and tumultuous union is now an open book, thanks to "Staying True," Jenny Sanford's memoir of a marriage that only can be described as the Contract With America meets Southern gothic. Sanford's husband, Mark -- the governor of South Carolina -- was once a rising star in the national Republican firmament.

CHARLESTON, S.C. - At a harborside reception overlooking Ft. Sumter, where the Civil War began, Mark Sanford batted away a TV reporter's question about the latest insult to his comeback campaign: an unwanted endorsement from pornographer Larry Flynt. Hours earlier, the former governor had been asked about a billboard message on a South Carolina interstate from a marital infidelity website. Under a blowup of a grinning Sanford, the site advised him to use its online service to find his next "running mate.

South Carolina first lady Jenny Sanford sat in her oceanfront living room Friday, recalling how her husband repeatedly asked permission to visit his lover in the months after she discovered his affair. "I said absolutely not. It's one thing to forgive adultery; it's another thing to condone it," Jenny Sanford told The Associated Press during a 20-minute interview at the coastal home where she sought refuge with their four sons. They were her first extended comments on the affair.

The wife of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, who separated from her husband in the wake of his affair with an Argentine woman, is writing a memoir. Ballantine Books, an imprint of Random House Inc., said Tuesday it will publish Jenny Sanford's "inspirational memoir" in May 2010. The publisher says Sanford "will grapple with the universal issue of maintaining integrity and a sense of self during life's difficult times."

SOUTH CAROLINA Jenny Sanford files for divorce South Carolina's first lady, a former Wall Street executive who helped launch her husband's political career, has filed for divorce -- months after Mark Sanford's tearful public confession of an affair with an Argentine woman. "This came after many unsuccessful efforts at reconciliation, yet I am still dedicated to keeping the process that lies ahead peaceful for our family," Jenny Sanford said in a statement. NEW YORK Judge: Keep funding ACORN A federal judge has ruled the U.S. government's move to cut off funding to ACORN is unconstitutional.

The wife of South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford moved out of the official governor's residence with their four sons, a little more than a month after he admitted to a yearlong affair with an Argentine woman he called his "soul mate." Jenny Sanford and several other women moved bags of clothes, a suitcase and armloads of suits and dresses on hangers from the governor's mansion in Columbia before departing in a caravan of sport utility vehicles. Three of the four boys were present, carrying tote and duffel bags.

The Early Show Super Bowl ads. (N) 7 a.m. KCBS Today Super Bowl; Marie Osmond. (N) 7 a.m. KNBC KTLA Morning News (N) 7 a.m. KTLA Good Morning America Super Bowl; Jenny Sanford; Heidi Klum; Valentine's Day gifts. (N) 7 a.m. KABC Good Day L.A. (N) 7 a.m. KTTV Live With Regis and Kelly Bill Paxton. (N) 9 a.m. KABC The View Jenny Sanford; Dr. Mehmet Oz. (N) 10 a.m. KABC The Bonnie Hunt Show Cobie Smulders.

She is the political wife who bucked tradition. When scandal struck her husband, the governor of South Carolina, she did not stand by his side. Instead, Jenny Sanford packed up her things and their four children and moved out of the governor's mansion for the family's home on Sullivan's Island. On Thursday she issued a letter supporting another "principled, conservative, tough and smart" woman in the crowded Republican primary to succeed Mark Sanford. (You may recall that the governor, who once had presidential aspirations, went AWOL last summer, telling his staff he was hiking along the Appalachian Trail while he was actually in Argentina visiting his mistress.

CHARLESTON, S.C. - With election day just over two weeks away, the road from the Appalachian Trail to redemption is starting to get a little muddy for former Republican high-flier Mark Sanford. Sanford was a popular governor and promising presidential prospect until a sex scandal derailed him. And no run-of-the-mill scandal: While governor, Sanford disappeared from view and a spokesman claimed he was hiking the Appalachians - only to have it become known that he actually was making a clandestine visit to his mistress in Argentina.

Last week was a historic one for women. Eighteen women won or reclaimed Senate seats, bringing the number of women in that body to 20. Nearly 80 women now occupy the House. New Hampshire became the first state to elect a female governor and an all-women congressional delegation. But wait: What's that sound of tires screeching to a halt? What's that feeling of being yanked aside by the elbow and told, "Not so fast, missy. " It's that timeless behemoth known as the double standard, that ever-present reminder that no matter how many elected offices women hold or Cabinet positions they fill, no matter how many Fortune 500 companies they run, there's no amount of success that can't be undone by the ultimate mistake: a failure to comply with the strict set of culturally sanctioned standards of attractiveness.

The Early Show Marcus Samuelsson. (N) 7 a.m. KCBS Today Giuliano Hazan; Todd English. (N) 7 a.m. KNBC KTLA Morning News El Debarge. (N) 7 a.m. KTLA Good Morning America Elton John and Leon Russell perform; "Dancing With the Stars" couple. (N) 7 a.m. KABC Live With Regis and Kelly Christopher Meloni; Maggie Q; Plain White T's perform. (N) 9 a.m. KABC The View Janet Napolitano; Rod Stewart; Patricia Heaton. (N) 10 a.m. KABC The Doctors Olivia Newton-John.

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford agreed Thursday to pay a $74,000 fine to settle an allegation that he breached the state ethics code 37 times by overspending on travel and making personal use of state airplanes and campaign funds. The settlement was detailed in a consent order issued by the State Ethics Commission and signed by the governor. It brings to a close one chapter of Sanford's well-publicized troubles, which began in June when the governor, who was married, traveled to Argentina to visit his lover but told aides he would be hiking on the Appalachian Trail.

SERIES Smallville: Chloe (Allison Mack) is approached by a stranger seeking help of the superhero variety on a double episode of the young Superman drama (8 p.m. KTLA). Medium: Diedrich Bader ("The Drew Carey Show") guest-stars as the mystery man in Allison's (Patricia Arquette) visions in the new episode of the supernatural drama (9 p.m. CBS). Bill Moyers Journal: The journalist and his guests discuss the Supreme Court's recent decision to allow corporations to spend large sums on elections (9 p.m. KCET)

Staying True Jenny Sanford Ballantine: 240 pp., $25