COLUMBIA--Education Superintendent Inez Tenenbaum said Monday she will kick off her re-election bid next month at a Columbia reception and fund-raiser.

However, some supporters had hoped the Democrats' top vote-getter in the last statewide election would challenge Republican Gov. Mark Sanford next year.

Tenenbaum has been telling supporters since she lost the U.S. Senate race to Republican Jim DeMint in November that she would seek re-election as education superintendent, but some supporters held out hope she would take on Sanford. She still regularly gets calls asking, "Will you consider running for governor," she said.

Tenenbaum said the door isn't closed to a gubernatorial bid, but she needed "to be about getting myself in a position to run for re-election."

For now, Democrats have no one who has stepped forward to declare a campaign run against Sanford.

"The time is now if you're going to be a candidate for governor," Tenenbaum said. That person "needs to step up and be strong about it" and "raise the money," she said.

It will cost at least $6 million to campaign against Sanford and a candidate needs to start working on "raising those kind of resources and traveling around the state," Tenenbaum said. "Once they step up, I plan to do all I can to help that person."

In a month, state Democrats will hold their two biggest events: the annual Jefferson-Jackson dinner and the state convention. Both are something of a coming-out party for political hopefuls courting support and cash.

Tenenbaum hopes to see gubernatorial candidates working crowds at those events.

Democrats reportedly considering a run include state Sens. Glenn Reese of Spartanburg, Yancey McGill of Kingstree and Tommy Moore of Clearwater.

State Treasurer Grady Patterson, 81, is the only other Democrat in statewide office in South Carolina. "He's running again. He has not formally announced that," Patterson spokesman Trav Robertson said.

Republicans want both those offices, state Republican Party director Luke Byars said.

"We have a number of qualified Republican candidates that are considering their options right now," Byars said. "I would expect a primary in both of those elections."