June 24 (Bloomberg) -- South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford re-emerged in public today after a seven-day disappearance to say he had been in Argentina.


“I wanted to do something exotic,” he told The State newspaper in Columbia, the capital.


Sanford left his office June 18 because he “needed to clear his head” after political fights over refusing to accept federal stimulus funds, a battle that went to the state Supreme Court, his spokesman, Joel Sawyer told the South Carolina newspaper. The governor was reported by his staff to be hiking the Appalachian Trail.

The 49-year-old Republican governor arrived at the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta this morning, The State reported, ending what the newspaper said was a seven-day visit to Buenos Aires. In an interview at the airport, Sanford told the newspaper he made a last-minute decision to go to Buenos Aires to “recharge.”

“It’s a great city,” The State quoted the governor as saying, adding that he was alone. The governor declined to give details other than saying he drove along the coastline.

Sanford plans a news conference at 2 p.m. today in his office in Columbia, according to a statement on the governor’s Web site.

‘Office Wasn’t Concerned’

“We knew he would be checking in during the week,” Sawyer said yesterday, adding that it isn’t unusual for Sanford to go off on a trip without being reachable. “The office wasn’t concerned, it was just political opponents trying to make hay.”

“We tried to reach him yesterday when the news started breaking,” Sawyer said.

The U.S. embassy in Buenos Aires confirmed that Sanford visited Argentina in June of last year when he met with former Vice President Daniel Scioli to discuss trade and investment issues. Spokeswoman Mara Tekach said in an interview that the embassy wasn’t contacted regarding Sanford’s trip this week.

The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that South Carolina Law Enforcement Division Chief Reggie Lloyd had raised alarms over the weekend about Sanford’s absence.

Sanford didn’t transfer power to Lieutenant Governor Andre Bauer, a fellow Republican, whose office expressed concern over that decision.

Sanford “had a lot on his plate,” said state Senator John Knotts, a Republican. “He’s lost every battle he’s ever fought with the General Assembly and now with the courts. If he needed to clear his head, that’s fine.”

Sanford should have transferred power to Bauer, Knotts said.

‘Best Interest’

“This could have all been avoided if he had the best interest in mind of the citizens of South Carolina,” he said.

Knotts said he was told by Lloyd that Sanford told his security detail to stand down on June 18, leaving the governor to drive alone in a state car.

Lloyd and his staff wouldn’t comment on Knotts’s account.

This is “bizarre behavior for a governor,” though it is within Sanford’s power as the state’s chief executive, Knotts said.

While Sanford has been mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in 2012, his office said yesterday he isn’t considering running.

Sanford’s behavior could hurt his chances should he run for president, said Julian Zelizer, professor of history and public affairs at Princeton University in New Jersey.

“It’s never good, a story like this,” he said. “Anything about quirkiness or odd behavior sticks.”



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