South Carolina governor will announce DeMint’s replacement at noon

South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley will announce on Monday her pick to replace Jim DeMint in the U.S. Senate, her spokesman said.

The announcement will come during a noon press conference at the South Carolina Statehouse, spokesman Rob Godfrey said in a tweet on Monday morning.

DeMint, a Republican, is resigning from the U.S. Senate to take over as head of the Heritage Foundation, a Washington D.C.-based conservative think tank.

Under state law, Haley will appoint DeMint’s successor who will serve until a special election is held n 2014. Haley is thought to be considering at least five people for the seat, including, Rep. Tim Scott, former first lady Jenny Sanford, Rep. Trey Gowdy, former Attorney General Henry McMaster and state health agency director Catherine Templeton.

Since DeMint announced his resignation from the Senate earlier this month, much attention has been lavished upon Scott. If selected, he would be the only black member of the U.S. Senate.

Though DeMint’s office says he’s publicly staying neutral in who Haley will pick, there have been reports that DeMint has made it clear in private that Scott is his preferred choice.

“I love him,” DeMint told TheDC in a brief interview last week when asked about Scott.

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