Stephen Colbert's sister is planning to throw her hat in the race for South Carolina's First Congressional District, hoping to succeed where her famous sibling failed.

Though her brother's attempts to run for office were less than serious, Elizabeth Colbert-Busch's candidacy for the Democratic nomination is no joke.

St. Andrews Patch broke the news this afternoon that Colbert-Busch — pronounced with a hard "t" — will file papers next week to join the special election being held in May to fill the congressional seat made vacant in December after Tim Scott was appointed by Governor Nikki Haley to take over for retiring Senator Jim DeMint.

According to Patch, Colbert-Busch is currently "the Director of Sales and Marketing for Clemson University's Wind Turbine Drivetrain Testing Facility and was previously "the Director of Business Development for Clemson University's Restoration Institute."

Colbert-Busch is expected to pick up the Democratic nomination, but her victory in the general election in far from secure.

Former governor Mark "Appalachian Trail" Sanford is considered a favorite to receive the Republican nomination, and will undoubtedly have a fairly strong advantage over any Democrat running in the dark-red district.

Correction: A previous version of the post erroneously suggested Tim Scott had won his Senate seat. As now indicated above, he was appointed.

[photos via Clemson, AP]