Mark Sanford Wins Most Votes in GOP Congressional Primary

Still has to win a runoff and face Stephen Colbert's sister in the general

Mark Sanford passed his first test in what might be a political comeback for the ages.

On Tuesday night, the disgraced former governor won first place in a 16-way Republican primary to retake the House seat he held from 1995 to 2001 in South Carolina's 2nd District.

As expected, Sanford, who left the governorship in 2011 after a scandal and a divorce, topped the field by a wide margin.

But Sanford's comeback journey has just begun: His "win" on Tuesday earned him a spot in an April 2 runoff, which is mandated when no candidate tops 50 percent of the vote, and his Republican opponent isn't yet known.