CHARLESTON — Former South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford said Tuesday he is overwhelmed by the support he’s received as he tries to mount a political comeback and win the congressional seat he once held in the 1990s.

It’s been almost a month since Sanford announced he would seek the GOP nomination for the vacant seat in South Carolina’s 1st District.

The former two-term governor told reporters in a conference call he’s appreciative of the reception he has received since he has been campaigning along the state’s south coast.

Sanford is one of 16 Republicans and two Democrats seeking the seat vacated when U.S. Rep. Tim Scott was appointed to the state’s U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the resignation of Jim DeMint.

Sanford’s political career was derailed four years ago when he disappeared for five days and then returned to the state to admit an affair with an Argentine woman to whom he is now engaged.

“It’s not like anybody is unaware of what happened but what I’ve found is there is an amazing reservoir of human grace out there that is a reflection of God’s grace at large. I have seen it. I have felt it. I have dealt with it on a daily basis,” Sanford said.

“There are some people who will never forgive me and I think that is a real world consequence of sin and failure,” he added. “But there is a larger group of people who say I’m not going to judge you any more on your worst day than on your best day.”

Sanford said “it’s really been encouraging and all the fundamentals you have to have in a campaign seem to be happening.”

The conference call was to announce Sanford’s endorsement by Beaufort state Sen. Tom Davis, once Sanford’s chief of staff when he was governor.

Davis called Sanford “a proven commodity” who will have courage to make tough choices in Washington to reduce the nation’s spending and its debt.

Sanford said the endorsement was crucial because the election could be decided in Beaufort County where there are a quarter of the votes. Most of the GOP candidates come from Charleston County to the north and are expected to split the vote there.