Republicans praised fellow conservative Rep. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who will fill the Senate seat opening next year with the resignation of tea party favorite Jim DeMint. They also downplayed the fact that Scott will become the first African-American GOP senator in more than 30 years.

“Congressman Scott earned this seat; he earned this seat for the person that he is; he earned this seat for the results he has shown; he earned this seat for what I know he is going to do in making South Carolina and our country proud,” GOP Gov. Nikki R. Haley said, adding that it was “very important to me, as a minority female,” to underscore the point.

Haley is a first-generation Indian-American and only the second governor to be of Indian ancestry.

Her comments came at a news conference in the state Capitol, where she announced her decision to name Scott as DeMint’s temporary replacement. Though re-elected to a second term in 2010, DeMint is stepping down effective Jan. 1 to run The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank.

Scott is expected to be sworn in to the Senate when the new Congress convenes Jan. 3. He will run in a November 2014 special election to fill out the remainder of DeMint’s term, which runs through 2016.