South Carolina's Governor Will Not Resign

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford says he
appreciates the lieutenant governor's offer to take over, but he
plans to stay in office.
Sanford said Wednesday that Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer's call for him
to resign hours earlier was almost like "heaven on earth."
Sanford's June admission to an affair with an Argentine woman has
led to questions about the legality of his travel on state and
commercial planes.
But he says the people of South Carolina want to move past the
scandals. He says he will not be railroaded out of office and
thinks he can still do important things for South Carolina in the
last 16 months of his term.
Bauer says that if Sanford steps down, he will renew his offer
to stay out of the 2010 gubernatorial race. Sanford's term ends in
January 2011.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)