Jenny Horne to challenge Mark Sanford for Congress

State Rep. Jenny Horne, R-Dorchester, will run for the 1st District congressional seat now held by U.S. Rep. Mark Sanford, R-Charleston.

Horne will make a formal announcement next week, according to campaign spokesman Scott Malyerck.

Horne was in the national spotlight during the Confederate flag debate in the S.C. House, making an impassioned plea for fellow House members to stop debating and vote to remove the banner.

The flag removal debate came after nine parishioners were slain in a racially motivated shooting at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston.

Horne has said previously she has heard from many who want to see a woman in the S.C. congressional delegation. She could not be reached Thursday for comment.

Last week, Horne spoke at South Carolina’s oldest gay rights event, becoming the first Republican sitting lawmaker to do so.

“I want you to know that I support equality,” Horne said, reminding the crowd of how South Carolinians came together after the Charleston shooting. “We showed the world that hate won’t win in South Carolina. It’s not only an issue of race ... it’s an issue regarding hate. Hate will not win.”

Sanford, who vanished to Argentina while governor to see his then-mistress, won a political resurrection in 2013, placing first among 16 GOP challengers for former U.S. Rep. Tim Scott’s seat. Sanford went on to beat Democratic challenger Elizabeth Colbert Busch, winning 54 percent of the vote.

Last year, Sanford faced no opposition and was re-elected to the seat, which represents parts of Beaufort, Berkeley, Charleston, Colleton and Dorchester counties.

This story was originally published October 29, 2015 at 5:09 PM with the headline "Jenny Horne to challenge Mark Sanford for Congress."