CHARLESTON — The man who lost a runoff against Tim Scott in the 2010 Republican primary for South Carolina’s 1st District in Congress won’t run for the U.S. House seat this time.

State Sen. Paul Thurmond, R-Charleston, says he thinks he can serve the people better by concentrating on the state Senate seat he won last year. Thurmond, who won the District 43 seat formerly held by Lt. Gov. Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, is the son of the late U.S. Sen. Strom Thurmond.

Scott will be sworn in as South Carolina’s new U.S. senator today, replacing Jim DeMint. Primaries for Scott’s open U.S. House seat will be held in March, with the election for the seat in May.

Filing is set to begin Jan. 18 and more than a dozen people have expressed interest, including former Gov. Mark Sanford, who served three terms in Congress representing the 1st District.

Wire and staff reports