"Call me a casualty of the impeachment process," he said in an interview. "On the Republican side, there is no oxygen in the room for other issues. And the purpose of the campaign was to try and raise and elevate a discussion and debate about where are we going as a country."

Sanford failed to mobilize any measurable constituency here, largely greeted with lackluster crowds and a tepid following. Trump remains overwhelmingly popular among Republicans.

Sanford recalled working out at a Planet Fitness gym in Manchester on Monday night. As he was on an exercise machine looking at the row of televisions along the wall, he said every one of the major networks was talking about impeachment.

"There is no appetite for a subtle discussion of issues on the Republican side," he said. "It is viewed entirely in partisan terms right now — red versus blue team — and one of the casualties of that process is debate and discussion of issues I think are important to our lives."

Asked whether he thought a Republican could win a primary against Trump, Sanford sighed.

"Who knows," he said. "I don't know what I don't know."

One of three Republicans challenging Trump in the primary, Sanford has been out of politics since losing his congressional seat in June 2018.

