Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) speaks on the Vision ’24 National Conservative Forum March 18, 2023 in Charleston, South Carolina.
Win McNamee | Getty Images
Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina launched an exploratory committee for a 2024 presidential campaign on Wednesday, taking a significant step toward a Republican primary arena that former President Donald Trump has dominated to date.
“That is personal to me,” Scott, 57, said in a video announcing the committee. “I won’t ever back down in defense of the conservative values that makes America exceptional. And that is why I’m announcing my exploratory committee for president of america.”
Scott’s move toward a White House run puts him on target to collide with fellow South Carolina Republican Nikki Haley, the previous governor and United Nations ambassador who launched her own presidential campaign in February.
Each appear to have a difficult task in attempting to defeat Trump, the party’s de facto leader, and dislodge prospective candidate Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as GOP voters’ preferred alternative to Trump. Trump has dominated early Republican primary polling, while DeSantis has normally held the second spot.
Scott made history by becoming the primary Black senator elected within the U.S. south for the reason that post-Civil War Reconstruction Era. He’s currently the one Black Republican within the Senate — two other Black incumbent senators, Raphael Warnock of Georgia and Cory Booker of Recent Jersey, are Democrats — and considered one of just 4 Black Republicans to serve within the chamber in U.S. history.
In his announcement video Wednesday morning, Scott slammed President Joe Biden and the left for attempting to “weaponize race to divide us.” He accused his political foes of labeling him a “prop” and a “token” because “I disrupt their narrative.”
Scott’s video was released on the day marking the start of the Civil War and was filmed near Fort Sumter, where the war’s first major conflict took place in South Carolina, his committee noted.
The senator, who has been touring key primary states, is planning one other swing this week through Iowa, Recent Hampshire and South Carolina, his committee said.
Scott’s preparation for his presidential run was well telegraphed. In a fundraising email in March, Scott even teased, “I wanted you to listen to this from me first, Friend. I’ve made a call…. To go to church!”
That is breaking news. Please check back for updates.
