Hilton Head Representative Announces Candidacy for Congress

Rep. Andy Patrick, R-Hilton Head, has entered the First Congressional race, the Island Packet reported.

A special election has been called since former Congressman Tim Scott resigned to take an appointment to U.S. Senate. Scott filled the shoes of former Sen. Jim DeMint who resigned to pursue a private career. 

There are now more than 10 GOP candidates in the race. Voters will vote in a special primary March 19 in the GOP field.

The Island Packet reported:

"The way I view things, this country is crumbling," Patrick said. "The foundations of America and the principles instilled by our founding fathers are crumbling. Not from some great foreign power, but crumbling from within. Crumbling from the weight of debt, crumbling from a deteriorating culture, crumbling from a Congress that can't even pass a budget."

Patrick, a security consultant and former Secret Service agent, was elected to the state House of Representatives in 2010 and re-elected without opposition in November. He serves on the House Ethics Study Committee, a special House committee probing the security breach at the Department of Revenue, and the House Education Committee.

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See a video of Rep. Patrick's campaign ad from 2012 attached to this story.