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South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford

The lieutenant governor doesn't know, and neither does a state senator who's a close confidante. Even his wife is in the dark.

Gov. Mark Sanford's unannounced absence from the state capitol perplexed some politicians Monday, and his staff wouldn't say where he was. His wife said she hadn't heard from him in several days — including Father's Day.

"He was writing something and wanted some space to get away from the kids," Jenny Sanford told The Associated Press while vacationing with the couple's three sons at their Sullivans Island beach house. She said she wasn't concerned about her husband, the state's two-term Republican chief executive.

Sanford, who's also chairman of the Republican Governors Association, earned a reputation as the nation's most vocal anti-bailout governor by refusing $700 million in federal stimulus money for schools until he lost a court battle earlier this month.

His spokesman Joel Sawyer released a statement saying the governor was taking a break after losing the fight.

"Gov. Sanford is taking some time away from the office this week to recharge after the stimulus battle and the legislative session and to work on a couple of projects that have fallen by the wayside," Sawyer said.

Sawyer wouldn't say where Sanford was, and law enforcement officials who handle his security also declined to comment. After releasing the statement, Sawyer didn't immediately respond to questions about whether Sanford was keeping in touch with staff.

Sanford typically is open about his whereabouts, and his office makes no secret of time spent on vacation or out of state.

But politicians, including the lieutenant governor, said they did not know Sanford was taking time away from his office.

State Sen. Tom Davis, a Beaufort Republican, Sanford confidante and former chief of staff, said his calls to Sanford were going straight to voice mail. Calls from The Associated Press to the governor's cell phone also went to voice mail.

Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer said he didn't know where Sanford was but said he had not been put in charge.

Bauer spokesman Frank Adams said he had been told Sanford chief of staff Scott English was in touch with the governor. "They assure they know where he is," Adams said.

English did not immediately respond to a message left seeking comment.

Sen. Jake Knotts, a Lexington Republican and a persistent Sanford critic, said the state needs to know where its governor is.

"The way things are in the world today and homeland security, we need the governor to be fingertips away," Knotts said. "Somebody's got to be in charge."

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