Sen. Larry Grooms, R-Berkeley, will officially file for the 1st Congressional seat at 2 p.m. today in Columbia, and will make stops in Beaufort County tomorrow.

Grooms will greet voters and take questions from 12 to 12:45 p.m. at the Chick-fil-A in Beaufort, 2405 Boundary St. He will also speak with Sun City residents from 2 to 3 p.m. at Magnolia Hall. That event, sponsored by the Republicans of Sun City Hilton Head, will only be open to Sun City residents.

Grooms is one of many vying for the district seat, vacated by Tim Scott, that includes most of Beaufort County and anchored in Charleston County.

Grooms is anticipated to be an early favorite among Tea Party voters along with former Gov. Mark Sanford who is also running.

The primaries are March 19. If runoffs are necessary, they will be on April 2. The special election is May 7.