A special election for

South Carolina's 1st congressional district The 1st congressional district of South Carolina is a coastal congressional district in South Carolina, represented by Republican Nancy Mace since January 3, 2021. She succeeded Democrat Joe Cunningham, having defeated him in the 2020 electio ...

was held on May 7, 2013, to fill the seat following the resignation of U.S. Representative

Tim Scott Timothy Eugene Scott (born September 19, 1965) is an American businessman and politician serving as the junior United States senator from South Carolina since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, Scott was appointed to the U.S. Senate by Go ...

, who was appointed to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is the upper chamber of the United States Congress, with the House of Representatives being the lower chamber. Together they compose the national bicameral legislature of the United States. The composition and pow ...

Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...

Nikki Haley Nimrata Nikki Haley (née Randhawa; born January 20, 1972) is an American diplomat and politician who served as the 116th and first female governor of South Carolina from 2011 to 2017, and as the 29th United States ambassador to the United Na ...

to fill the seat previously held by

Jim DeMint James Warren DeMint (born September 2, 1951) is an American political advocate, businessman, author, and retired politician who served as a United States Senator from South Carolina and as president of the Heritage Foundation. DeMint is a member ...

. DeMint resigned from the Senate on January 1, 2013, to accept a position as president of

The Heritage Foundation The Heritage Foundation (abbreviated to Heritage) is an American conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. that is primarily geared toward public policy. The foundation took a leading role in the conservative movement during the presiden ...

. The filing period for candidates lasted between January 18 and January 28, 2013. The special primary elections took place on March 19, 2013. Businesswoman

Elizabeth Colbert Busch Elizabeth Colbert Busch (born December 10, 1954) is an American economist and politician who is the Director of Business Development at Clemson University's Restoration Institute, and was the Democratic Party nominee for the 2013 special election ...

won the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

primary and

Mark Sanford Marshall Clement "Mark" Sanford Jr. (born May 28, 1960) is an American politician and author who served as the U.S. Representative for South Carolina's 1st congressional district from 1995 to 2001 and again from 2013 to 2019, and also as the ...

, the former governor of South Carolina who held the seat from 1995 to 2001, advanced to a runoff with former Charleston County Councilman Curtis Bostic for the Republican Party nomination. Prior to the runoff, 14 Republicans and one Democrat signed the "Reject the Debt" pledge put out by the nonpartisan

Coalition to Reduce Spending The Coalition to Reduce Spending is a non-partisan political advocacy group based in Alexandria, Virginia, the United States. The mission of the Coalition to Reduce Spending is to advocate for reduced federal spending and balanced budgets. The c ...

. In the runoff election on April 2, Sanford defeated Bostic. Eugene Platt, a James Island Public Service Commissioner, was nominated by the

South Carolina Green Party The South Carolina Green Party is a ballot-qualified political party in the state of South Carolina. It is the state affiliate party of the Green Party of the United States. History The party had been the South Carolina affiliate of the Natural ...

. In the general election on May 7, Sanford received 54% of the vote, beating Colbert Busch (45%) and Platt (1%).

Republican primary

Candidates

Declared

* Keith Blandford, businessman and

Libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's e ...

nominee for this district in

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

* Curtis Bostic, former Charleston County Councilman (defeated in runoff) * Ric Bryant, engineer * Larry Grooms, state senator *

Jonathan Rath Hoffman Jonathan Rath Hoffman is an American attorney, politician, and government official who served as the assistant to the secretary of defense for public affairs from May 2019 to January 2021. In the role, Hoffman advised the secretary and deputy sec ...

, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of

Homeland Security Homeland security is an American national security term for "the national effort to ensure a homeland that is safe, secure, and resilient against terrorism and other hazards where American interests, aspirations, and ways of life can thrive" to ...

, former director of border security at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

* Jeff King, engineer for a military contractor * John Kuhn, former state senator * Tim Larkin, defense engineer and member of the

South Carolina Army National Guard The South Carolina Army National Guard is a component of the United States Army and the United States National Guard. Nationwide, the Army National Guard comprises approximately one half of the U.S. Army's available combat forces and approximat ...

Chip Limehouse Harry B. "Chip" Limehouse III (born August 8, 1962) is an American politician from the state of South Carolina. A member of the Republican Party, Limehouse is a former member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, representing District 11 ...

, state representative * Peter McCoy, state representative * Elizabeth Moffly, member of the Charleston County School Board * Ray Nash, former Dorchester County Sheriff *

Andy Patrick Andy Patrick (born August 5, 1969) is an American politician from the state of South Carolina. A member of the Republican Party, Patrick was a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, representing the 123rd district. Early years ...

, state representative * Shawn Pinkston, attorney *

, former

Governor of South Carolina The governor of South Carolina is the head of government of South Carolina. The governor is the '' ex officio'' commander-in-chief of the National Guard when not called into federal service. The governor's responsibilities include making year ...

and former U.S. Representative (won primary) * Teddy Turner, high school teacher and son of

Ted Turner Robert Edward "Ted" Turner III (born November 19, 1938) is an American entrepreneur, television producer, media proprietor, and philanthropist. He founded the Cable News Network (CNN), the first 24-hour United States cable news, cable news ch ...

Declined

* Carroll Campbell III, businessperson and son of former governor Carroll A. Campbell, Jr. *

George E. Campsen III George E. "Chip" Campsen III (born March 30, 1959) is an American politician. He is a member of the Republican party. Political career Campsen is a Republican member of the South Carolina Senate, representing the 43rd District since 2004. Pr ...

, state senator * Tom Davis, state senator * Larry Kobrovsky, former

Charleston County Charleston County is located in the U.S. state of South Carolina along the Atlantic coast. As of the 2020 census, its population was 408,235, making it the third most populous county in South Carolina (behind Greenville and Richland counties). ...

School Board member * Joe McKeown, chief of staff for Tim Scott and former Charleston County Councilman * Jimmy Merrill, state representative *

Thomas Ravenel Thomas Jonathan Jackson Ravenel (born August 11, 1962) is an American politician and reality television star. He is the son of former Representative Arthur Ravenel Jr. from South Carolina. He starred for five seasons on the Bravo reality-televisi ...

, former state treasurer *

Jenny Sanford Jennifer Sullivan Sanford (born September 11, 1962) is the former First Lady of South Carolina and a former investment banker. She was married to Governor Mark Sanford. Early life and education Sanford was born and raised in Winnetka, Illinoi ...

, former First Lady of South Carolina * Duffie Stone, Judicial Circuit Solicitor * Elliott Summey, Charleston County Councilman *

Paul Thurmond Paul Reynolds Thurmond (born January 9, 1976) is an American politician from the state of South Carolina. A member of the Republican Party, Thurmond is a former member of the South Carolina Senate. He is the youngest child (and one of three sur ...

, state senator

Primary

Results

Runoff

Polling

Results

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declared

, director of business development at

Clemson University Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enro ...

’s Restoration Institute, (won primary; also nominated by the South Carolina Working Families Party) *

Ben Frasier Benjamin Frasier Jr. (born c. 1942) is a perennial candidate for political office in South Carolina, having run for Congress over fifteen times since 1972. Weigel, David (5 April 2013)The Alvin Greene Scam: It Lives! ''Slate (magazine)'' He actually ...

, perennial candidate, former aide to Congressman

L. Mendel Rivers Lucius Mendel Rivers (September 28, 1905 – December 28, 1970) was a Democratic U.S. Representative from South Carolina, representing the Charleston-based 1st congressional district for nearly 30 years. He was chairman of the House Armed Se ...

Withdrawn

* Bobbie Rose, former teacher and nominee for the 1st district in 2012 * Martin Skelly, businessperson

Declined

* Robert Burton, pilot and retired

Air Force An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an a ...

Colonel * Wendell Gilliard, state representative * Blaine Lotz, Chairman of the Beaufort County Democratic Party * Leon Stavrinakis, state representative

Primary

Results

Green Party

On the Ballot

* Eugene Platt, James Island Public Service Commissioner and 1990 Democratic Party candidate for the 1st district (won primary)

Declared

* Larry Carter Center, political activist

General election

On May 7, 2013, Mark Sanford won the election and took the seat vacated by U.S. Representative

Polling

Results

County results

References

External links

Elizabeth Colbert Busch for Congress

Eugene Platt for Congress

Mark Sanford for Congress
{{South Carolina elections South Carolina 2013 01 South Carolina 2013 01 2013 01 South Carolina 01 United States House of Representatives 01 United States House of Representatives 2013 01