Nov. 5, 2002 -- After an unpredictable campaign battle, Republican Mark Sanford scored a major victory in South Carolina gubernatorial campaign, according to the Associated Press.

When Sanford's supporters at his Charleston campaign headquarters learned of his victory just before 11p.m. EST, they began to chant, "Sanford, Sanford".

During his campaign, Sanford, a former three-term congressman, stressed government restructuring, income tax elimination and the need to flow education funds directly to classrooms rather than school administration. He also ran on a plan to allow publicly funded vouchers for students in the state's worst schools to attend private schools.

Sanford's win appeared to indicate South Carolina's returning to its traditional Republican leanings, with his strength in the coastal region of South Carolina and in the consistently GOP Upcountry crucial in securing his victory. Hodges had launched a tenacious campaign to win approval from African-American voters in the hopes of offsetting these Republican strongholds.

Election Day returns held true to the latest Mason-Dixon poll, conducted October 28 and 29 for the Charleston Post and Courier, which showed Sanford with a 49 percent to 45 percent lead over incumbent Hodges.

Sanford's win bolsters Republican hope that Hodges' 1998 victory was a fluke propelled by specific issues -- the flying of the Confederate flag over the Capitol dome in Columbia, and the issue of increased gambling -- that were important to voters four years ago, but have since become less pressing.

Sanford accused Hodges of focusing too closely on healthcare and education and ignoring other pressing issues, such as pay increases for state troopers.

Sanford and Hodges were also locked in a vicious ad war that ballooned the gubernatorial race costs to the most expensive in South Carolinian history. The two candidates raised about $7 million apiece, and spent the majority of their combined $13.85 million on television ads.