South Carolina Republican Gov. Nikki R. Haley will not be a candidate for a U.S. Senate seat this cycle. “The governor will not run for the Senate in 2014,” spokesman Rob Godfrey told CQ Roll Call. “She absolutely loves the job she has.”

Sen. Jim DeMint announced Thursday that he would resign his seat in January, leaving Haley to pick a replacement to will serve through the 113th Congress. A special election will be held in November 2014 to fill the remainder of DeMint’s term, which ends in January 2017.

Palmetto State GOP operatives had floated the idea the first-term chief executive might run for the seat after appointing a placeholder candidate who would not run in the special.

The conventional wisdom among GOP operatives in the state remains that the top contender for the seat is conservative freshman Rep. Tim Scott.