Sanford had not been in touch with his staff, security, or family since Thursday, but his office sent an update last night saying he was hiking on the Appalachian Trail:
"I apologize for taking so long to send this update, and was waiting to see if a more definitive idea of what part of the trail he was on before we did so," said Joel Sawyer, the Republican governor's spokesman. Sawyer added that he will update the public on Sanford's specific whereabouts as soon as he knows them.
The governor, who has a reputation for being an unorthodox politician, opened the door to plenty of criticism from political rivals with his disappearance. State Sen. Jake Knotts worried about the line of succession during yesterday's national speculation. Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer, who is positioning himself to run for governor when Sanford's term is up, complained that his request to speak with the governor had been denied:
Bauer said he called Sanford's office Monday and requested an "immediate phone conversation with the governor." "That request was denied because the governor's chief of staff does not know where the governor is, and has not communicated with the governor since he left South Carolina last Thursday," Bauer said. "I cannot take lightly that his staff has not had communication with him for more than four days, and that no one, including his own family, knows his whereabouts."
He'll be back tomorrow to face the political dust kicked up in his absence:
Sanford communications director Joel Sawyer said that the governor called his chief of staff this morning to check in and added: "It would be fair to say the governor was somewhat taken aback by all of the interest this trip has gotten."
He'll have to act quickly to tamp down concerns that he was being irresponsible or, that dreaded political euphemism, "erratic," but Sanford's take-me-or-leave-me attitude may not lend itself to an explanation tour. At this point, my favorite speculation is that the governor's hike was shrouded in secrecy because he may have been partaking in Naked Hiking Day. Unlikely, but points for color. The DNC, which has been making a habit of attacking Sanford on the stimulus, should tread lightly on the disappearance story. After all, the DNC Chairman himself is a governor who's been missing in action since roughly January.