South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford's (R) disappearance reminded The Fix about two other similar incidents:
Rep. Steve Largent (R-OK) was bowhunting in Idaho on Sept. 11, 2001 and didn't hear about the terrorist attacks until two days later. Largent's disappearance was used by Brad Henry (D) in the 2002 governor's race, which Largent narrowly lost.
Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) disappeared for two weeks in 2002 citing personal reasons. When he finally returned to the Senate, he offered no explanation.