And those who did speak to POLITICO stressed that while Sanford may cut an attractive profile as a candidate, she has not demonstrated the unbridled desire for the limelight or the affinity for retail politics necessary in a state where GOP primaries qualify as a blood sport.
“Before all this happened, she had been making a very conscious effort to pull back from public life,” said Joel Sawyer, the governor’s former communications director. “My sense is that she wants to get back to leading as normal a life as she can as soon as possible.”
“I guarantee you she will never run for anything,” Sawyer added. “Once the book is done she’s going to try to lead as normal a life as possible.”
Dawson said that if running for public office was something Sanford wanted to do “she could certainly win, but I think that’s the farthest thing there is from anything she wants to do.”
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