Polls Show Sanford Riding Out Storm -- South Carolinians Against Impeachment, Split On Resignation

New polls in South Carolina suggest that the political heat seems to have died down for scandal-plagued Gov. Mark Sanford, with voters opposing impeachment, and split on whether he should even resign.

A new survey today from Public Policy Polling (D) has a 47% plurality of South Carolina voters saying Sanford shouldn't resign, in a statistical dead heat with the 45% who say Sanford should resign. Voters oppose impeachment by an event greater margin: 58% against, 32% for. The margin of error is ±4.1%. Republicans widely support Sanford, Democrats oppose him, and independents are fairly close to the top-line results.

"South Carolinians are pretty unhappy with Mark Sanford but they also want this whole saga to go away," said PPP president Dean Debnam, in the polling memo.

A Rasmussen poll from last Friday had South Carolina voters opposing impeachment by 49%-36%, and similar dead of 42%-41% against resignation. A previous Rasmussen poll from June, in the heat of the scandal, favored resignation by 46%-39%, and opposing impeachment by 48%-40%.