Mark Sanford launched his campaign for President in Philly and we're legit embarrassed for him

Greg P. | 11:15 AM on October 17, 2019

Republican Mark Sanford launched his campaign for President of the United States in Philadelphia and nobody showed up except one reporter:

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA ONE PERSON SHOWED UP TO MARK SANFORD’S CAMPAIGN KICKOFF HAHAHAHAHA https://t.co/uUAiJIuAB5

— Chris Barron (@ChrisRBarron) October 17, 2019

From the Philadelphia Inquirer:

The bell in the Independence Hall tower rang at 9 a.m., and Mark Sanford took a deep breath. He grabbed a giant check for “one trillion dollars,” stood next to a tiny wooden lectern, and asked me if I was ready for him to kick off a news conference announcing his bid to challenge President Donald Trump in the 2020 Republican primary.

It didn’t really feel like a news conference. I was the only reporter there.

And when it began, the only others around besides his two aides were a family 30 yards away with a selfie stick and a group of students from Paris who wanted to know why he had such a big check. (Answer: It represented the burden of the national debt.)

The guy in the photo isn’t even a supporter — just some Democrat Sanford met while he was walking around with his giant novelty check. Here’s the photo’s caption:

© (Jessica Griffin/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS) Center city democrat Bill Quinn, left, greets Mark Sanford, right, as Sanford stops at the People’s Plaza at Independence National Historical Park and Liberty Bell Center, during his campaign running for president against Donald Trump, in Philadelphia, October 16, 2019. Sanford bought with him a large check symbolizing the 1 trillion dollar deficit.