COLUMBIA, S.C. - South Carolina Democratic Party Chairman Joe Erwin announced Thursday he will seek a second term.

Erwin was talked about as a possible opponent to Republican Gov. Mark Sanford in 2006, but he said he wants to continue to help Democrats continue to build a grass-roots organization across the state.

Erwin, a Greenville advertising executive who was elected chairman in 2003, helped lead the cash-strapped party through the state's first-in-the-South presidential primary and a high-profile race to replace retiring Sen. Ernest "Fritz" Hollings last year.

Democrats will hold elections for state offices at their annual convention April 23 in Columbia.