S.C. Lieutenant Governor Will Ask Embattled Sanford To Resign

(08-26) 08:52 PDT Columbia, S.C. (AP) --

South Carolina's lieutenant governor will ask embattled Gov. Mark Sanford to resign at a news conference Wednesday, a spokesman said.

Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer will agree to stay out of next year's governor's race if Sanford steps down, an offer he first made in June after his fellow Republican admitted a yearlong affair with an Argentine woman.

"People need to take their personal, political considerations off the table and think about what's best for the state," Bauer spokesman Frank Adams said.

Sanford has previously said he has no plans to resign. His spokesman did not immediately return a call Wednesday.

Bauer, who was widely expected to run for governor in 2010, is now the most prominent Republican calling for Sanford to resign. Sanford can't run again because he is limited to two terms.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/08/24/national/a114602D95.DTL#ixzz0PJ2awA4v