When 1st District Congressman Mark Sanford decided to honor a pledge to serve no more than six years in the House, Brown ran for the seat, passing out "Oh Henry" candy bars during the primary election as a way to increase his name recognition. He won the runoff with 55% over state Transportation Commissioner Harry "Buck" Limehouse and easily won the general election. The Democrats didn't even field a challenger in 2002 or 2004. In 2006, he won re-election by over 20 points, but surprisingly did not pass the 60% margin in a race against Democratic Randy Maatta and Green candidate Brian Merrill.