When South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint announced his resignation to become president of the Heritage Foundation, Gov. Nikki Haley appointed Rep. Tim Scott (SC-01) to fill the vacant seat. As a result, the 1st District seat is now up for grabs in a special election to be held on Tuesday May 7.

The crowded field officially includes sixteen Republicans, three Democrats, and two Green Party candidates. According to the Cook Political Report, the race rates as “Solid Republican.” The 1st District’s Partisan Voter Index is listed as “R+11.”

With the March 19th primaries approaching, ATR will release an official list of candidates who have signed the Taxpayer Protection Pledge. Keith Blandford, Curtis Bostic, Larry Grooms, Chip Limehouse, Peter McCoy, Andy Patrick, Shawn Pinkston, Mark Sanford, Teddy Turner, have provided their signatures, and others are expected to follow suit. When it comes time to vote, the people of South Carolina’s 1st District will know which candidates are committed to protecting them from higher taxes.