Being the turd in the political punchbowl is more appealing to voters than you might think

[ashling]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/04/03/how-mark-sanford-won/

Sanford ran as the un-politician. Sanford’s electoral appeal has always been rooted in the perception that he’s not like other politicians. He limited himself to three terms in the House and, when he served as governor, he had an openly hostile relationship with the Republican-controlled state legislature. In that light, Sanford’s affair — and the public flogging he took for it — fit, in an odd way, into his overall political persona. You can easily imagine a voter thinking: “This guy doesn’t owe anybody anything if he goes to Washington. Heck, other politicians aren’t even going to want to be seen with him.” Given how voters feel about politicians these days, being seen as the turd in the political punch bowl is actually a good thing.