Democrat announces run for Tim Scott's House seat

Democratic businessman Martin Skelly is tossing his hat in the ring for the House seat left open by Sen. Tim Scott's (R-S.C.) appointment to the Senate.

"The people of South Carolina don’t want to sit back while the chaos in Congress pushes us closer to an economic meltdown — they want a sensible path forward to get our spending under control, achieve energy independence and create good jobs," Skelly said in a statement announcing his campaign. "The last thing South Carolina needs is another career politician who's more interested in playing politics than solving their problems. The future of our country is at stake, and I intend to run a vigorous campaign to give the next generation the opportunities they deserve."

Skelly promised to put $250,000 of his own money into the race, enough to give him a big boost towards being financially competitive.

The seat is fairly Republican — Mitt Romney carried it by 18 points in the 2012 presidential election — and national Democrats haven't mentioned it as a likely target. But special elections are often quirky, and controversial former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) is the current GOP-frontrunner in a crowded Republican primary field, leading to more uncertainty about the seat.

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