Though he lost the backing of the National Republican Congressional Committee, former Gov. Mark Sanford picked up an endorsement from Tea Party Express on Saturday.

The nation’s largest tea party political action committee urged conservative voters to support Sanford in the special election for South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District on Tuesday.

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“With our country $17 trillion in debt, the economy suffering through anemic growth, and Obamacare shaping up to be a train wreck, it is critical that South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District elect a true fiscal conservative,” Tea Party Express Chairman Amy Kremer said. “Governor Sanford has a proven and battle-tested record of reining in out-of-control spending and lowering taxes so that the economy can grow. That is why Tea Party Express is proudly endorsing Governor Mark Sanford.”

Kremer commented that Sanford’s Democratic opponent, Elizabeth Colbert-Busch, was connected to “Nancy Pelosi, Big Labor, and progressive Super PACs.”

“The decision in this race is simple: do the people of the First Congressional District want to elect another rubber stamp for Nancy Pelosi and Barack Obama, or do they want to send a proven conservative to Washington who will get the job done?” she added.

In a fundraising email sent Saturday night, the Tea Party Express warned its supporters that “Democrats think they have a chance to steal this important U.S. House seat,” which has been held by a Republican since 1981.