Former North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley and sitting South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford

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RALEIGH – Political analysts say the allegations made towards both South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford and former North Carolina Gov. Mike Easley are similar in natures.

Former Gov. Mike Easley is under investigation by a federal grand jury for accusations of breaking laws while in office and has been brought before the N.C. Board of Elections to answer questionable campaign activity.

In Columbia, S.C., sitting Gov. Mark Sanford was caught leaving the country without notifying state officials and was charged by a state ethics commission for his actions while in office.

“You do see a lot of parallels,” political analyst David McLennan said. “It is all about using the office for financial gain.”

With ethics standards getting tougher, it's becoming more common to see politicians under fire. But some say the similarities between the governors' accusations are uncanny.

For Sanford, the title of the 37 counts against him, “Use of public office for personal gain,” encompasses the accusation that he used upgraded plane tickets and the state plane for personal reasons.

For Easley, allegations include questionable real estate purchases from campaign donors and whether he used his influences to get his wife a job.

In addition, there was the allegation revealed at Easley's state board hearing that he used campaign funds to pay for renovations at his home. For Sanford, there are questions about whether he used campaign funds to pay for things like his cable bill while in the governor's mansion.

McLennan says even with checks and balances, it's hard for state overseers to keep the issues in check.

“It's very difficult for laws and codes of ethics to really keep up with all the problems that can occur because of these multimillion dollar campaigns,” he said.

McLennan says the issue for both men and for both states is to tackle the accumulation of allegations. As they are sorted out, there could be some black eyes in Carolina politics.

“Unfortunately, we are seeing the situation where people sometimes without a moral compass are getting involved in politics,” he said.

The South Carolina House has begun its inquiry into Sanford's actions. Easley has already been fined by the State Board of Elections and is under federal grand jury investigation.