Obviously, Buenos Aires isn't the best place to be if you want to run South Carolina. But for the crowded field of 2010 gubernatorial hopefuls, it's looking more and more like South Carolina isn't the best place to be, either.

That could boost the fortunes of Rep. J. Gresham Barrett, who publicly has avoided the palace intrigue in Columbia in the wake of Gov. Mark Sanford confessing that he had an affair with an Argentinian woman.

"If you exist, you're getting dirt on you. It's filthy. There is so much destruction. At the end of the day it will be the last man standing," said a South Carolina Republican strategist who has not taken sides in the 2010 gubernatorial race. "So maybe Gresham Barrett is the winner."

Source: CQ Politics

The GOP candidates to succeed Governor Sanford must maintain their focus on issues that concern the people of South Carolina.  Calling for Sanford to resign does not change the facts on the ground, South Carolina is suffering from a deep recession and a lack of leadership.

The CQ article focuses on the GOP candidates and which came out on top because of the governor's affair.  I would argue that the Democratic Party of South Carolina came out on top.  Scandal added to economic issues plus South Carolina's lack of modernization creates a recipe ripe for party change come 2010.