From the AP:

South Carolina legislators on Wednesday voted to force the governor to take $350 million in federal stimulus cash that he has refused to request unless it is used to pare down state debt.

Republican Gov. Mark Sanford has been railing loudly against the $787 billion stimulus package since before President Barack Obama signed it in February. He has been airing ads for weeks paid for by Carolinians for Reform that explain his philosophy of not taking the cash unless it goes toward debt, an idea twice rejected by the White House.

South Carolina agencies and programs stand to see $2.8 billion from the stimulus law during the next two years, mostly for schools. Sanford says he won’t request $700 million of that, or $350 million yearly. It’s a stance that has raised Sanford’s national profile and encouraged speculation about a 2012 presidential bid.

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