COLUMBIA, S.C. - Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Inez Tenenbaum has hired a Greenville lawyer to manage her campaign.

Frank Holleman is a former chairman of the state Democratic Party and a former U.S. deputy secretary of education.

"I couldn't have asked for a finer and more qualified person to run my campaign than Frank," Tenenbaum said Friday. "Not only does he know the ins and outs of our state, but he has served at the highest levels of government and knows the importance of having a strong voice for South Carolina in Washington."

Tenenbaum, the state's education chief, faces U.S. Rep. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., this fall.

"I am committed to doing all I can to help her win in November," Holleman said.

Holleman replaces Carol Butler, who officially left the campaign Monday. Butler joined the campaign in October, not long after Tenenbaum announced she would run to replace retiring Sen. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings. Butler and Tenenbaum disagreed on some key issues, the campaign said.

Tenenbaum shook up her staff during a week when she had to fight off criticism from Republicans.

On Monday, Tenenbaum's first ad hit the airwaves to debunk an attack by a GOP-leaning group that claims she supports higher taxes. Throughout the week she traded barbs with DeMint over their differences on trade and jobs.