Tim Scott Republican Mark Sanford Republican A special election for South Carolina's 1st congressional district was held on May 7, 2013, to fill the seat following the resignation of U.S. Representative Tim Scott, who was appointed to the United States Senate by Governor Nikki Haley to fill the seat previously held by Jim DeMint.

[1][3] Businesswoman Elizabeth Colbert Busch won the Democratic Party primary and Mark Sanford, 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.

Eugene Platt, a James Island Public Service Commissioner, was nominated by the South Carolina Green Party.

[4] On May 7, 2013, Mark Sanford won the election and took the seat vacated by U.S. Representative Tim Scott.