Update: Mark Sanford Wins Congressional Seat, Keeps Lover

Remember last summer when I wrote here about the marital infidelity of South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford and the press conference attempting to explain his misbehavior, an explanation heavily influenced, it seemed, by the overheated yet soggy prose of Robert James Waller?  My final call at the time was that, although the Governor was able to finish his term, his political future remained cloudy.

Then this happened last night.

The clouds have parted for newly elected congressman Sanford and he can move forward with both his political career and Argentine lover (now fiancee).  In the end, the same communication behavior that doomed him in 2009 saved him in 2013--his total willingness to overshare with the media.  Sanford's near-constant press availability during the closing week of the campaign (especially in contrast to his opponent's play-it-safe strategy) created precious opportunities for Sanford to plant doubts about Elizabeth Colbert Busch's policy positions and ease voters' discomfort with awarding him a second chance in politics.

Few things inspire more ambivalence than a story of premature redemption born of dumb luck and voting district party affiliation disparity.  But the romantic in me sighs and thinks "I knew those two would end up together...."