No one could have seen Wednesday's announcement by Gov. Mark Sanford coming; not even longtime family friend and former Cherokee County Republican Party Chairperson Joan Wheeler.

"The governor and his family are very dear friends of mine. I hate to see something like this happen to them," Wheeler said. "But this came as such a surprise. I'm definitely

in shock like everyone else."

Holding back tears during an afternoon press conference in Columbia, the twoterm Republican governor admitted to having an extramarital affair with a woman from Argentina.

Sanford, 49, was considered by some to be a front-runner for the GOP candidacy for president in 2012. However, his attention has shifted from future political aspirations to rebuilding his image as well as his marriage.

"I've let a lot of people down, bottom line," a visibly shaken Sanford said. "There are consequences for my actions; and this press conference just happens to be one of those consequences."

Rumors of Sanford's whereabouts began to create buzz nationwide earlier this week after state officials questioned why no one had heard from him in four days, starting with last Thursday. Before revealing details of his trip to South America, the governor had previously hinted to staffers that he was thinking of taking a hike along the Appalachian Trail, a hobby he has enjoyed for years.

"I told staffers the Appalachian Trail is where I was thinking of going; but I want to make absolutely clear that over the past two days at no time did anyone on my staff intentionally relay false information to other state officials or the public at large," Sanford said. "What they've said over the past two days they believed to be true, and I'm sorry for putting them in this position."

According to Sanford, he and the woman from Argentina, whose name he did not disclose, were close friends for the past eight years. However, within the past few years the two of them became close via email, eventually leading to an intimate relationship.

The governor acknowledged making three trips to the South American country, which includes a trade mission with the Department of Commerce last June which the state paid for. In a statement released by his office Wednesday, the mission was originally planned with the intention of meeting with government and private business officials in Brazil and Argentina.

"While the purpose of this trip was an entirely professional and appropriate business development trip, I made a mistake while I was there in meeting with the woman who I was unfaithful to my wife with," Sanford said. "That has raised some very legitimate concerns and questions, and as such I am going to reimburse the state for the full cost of the state."

Sanford made national headlines a few months ago in choosing to turn down President Obama's economic stimulus package, the nation's only governor to file a lawsuit rather than accept the $700 million in aid. He didn't fare much better with state lawmakers, who challenged many of his vetoes during the most recent legislative session.

Sanford said he would step down as chairman of the Republican Governors Association (RGA). However, others feel he should remove himself from the state's highest post.

"He left the country and deliberately made himself unavailable ... he misled his staff who unknowingly misled the public," Senate Majority Leader Harvey Peeler said in a prepared statement. "We cannot let the Governor's personal life overshadow his public responsibility, or in this case, his negligence of gubernatorial authority."

Other residents of the Palmetto State, including local resident Jennifer Newsome, agree Sanford should be punished for his actions.

"By leaving the country, that is totally selfish and shows how much respect he has for his position and this state," Newsome said. "He needs to be removed from office."

Wheeler, however, believes Sanford mailing it in would be a mistake.

"If you look at how other politicians did after similar incidents, they all picked up the pieces and recovered," Wheeler said. "Time will heal things for him, his family and this state."

Gaffney Mayor Henry Jolly said he could not imagine why he would leave the state without letting staffers or any of his peers aware of his whereabouts.

"Our jobs are quite a bit different, but it caught me by surprise that he was out of the state for that long and no one knew," Jolly said.