Sanford is likely to soon find himself severely outspent. Dem ad blitz: Sanford can't be trusted

While national Republicans are withdrawing support for former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford’s special congressional election campaign, national Democrats are piling on.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee on Friday will begin running a hard-hitting TV ad attacking Sanford for ethical scrutiny he endured four years ago, after he revealed that he had been spending taxpayer money to fund trips to visit his Argentinian mistress.


“Mark Sanford walked out of us, violated our trust,” says the 30-second spot. “Now he wants our trust again? Maybe Mark Sanford should keep walking.”

( PHOTOS: Mark Sanford’s career)

The DCCC is spending a little more than $200,000 to run the ad, which begins airing Friday in the Charleston and Savannah media markets. The spot will run through April 28.

The ad covers territory similar as a spot being run by a Democratic outside group, House Majority PAC. The two Democratic groups are combining to spend more than a half million dollars on the South Carolina airwaves.

With no assistance from Republican groups – and with Democrats intensifying their investment – Sanford is likely to soon find himself severely outspent.

In a statement, Sanford said that Democratic leaders are trying to buy the 1st Congressional District seat for Colbert Busch and argued that she would be beholden to them.

“I think this raises an incredibly interesting question, and that is, what are Nancy Pelosi and national Democrats expecting from Colbert Busch that they’re willing to spend a million dollars to get it?” he said. “My opponent has gone through great lengths to distance herself from the liberal Beltway crowd, but it simply isn’t believable that those same folks would be trying to buy this race for someone who would truly be an independent voice in Washington.”

On Wednesday, the National Republican Congressional Committee announced that it would no longer spend money supporting Sanford – a decision that came just hours after the Associated Press reported that the former governor’s ex-wife filed a court complaint alleging he trespassed repeatedly on her property.

National Republicans complained they were blindsided by the news and worry that the development will leave the ex-governor severely hamstrung in his campaign against Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch, a Clemson University administrator and the sister of comedian Stephen Colbert.

Mitt Romney won the Charleston-area district by 18 percentage points, but Colbert Busch and Sanford had been running even in polls prior to the trespassing story.

“This is an overwhelmingly Republican district that has become competitive because Republicans yet again nominated a flawed candidate,” said Jesse Ferguson, the DCCC deputy executive director. “The DCCC will aggressively compete in uphill fights even in the most Republican territory.”