The U.S. Senator faces an uphill battle. In his home state of South Carolina, more than 90 percent of Black voters cast their ballot for Biden over Trump.
Gerren Keith Gaynor |
May 23, 2023
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The official launch of Republican Sen. Tim Scott’s presidential campaign makes him the leading Black candidate in the 2024 race.
As a Black conservative and the lone Black Republican in the U.S. Senate, Scott is sure to be a standout vying for the nomination in an overwhelmingly white GOP.
Scott, who touted his rise in politics as an American success story despite growing up poor and raised by a single mother, is a history-maker who was the first African-American elected to the U.S. Senate from the state of South Carolina.
Despite his ascension in national politics, Scott’s chances for the presidency are “slim to none,” according to Michael Steele, the former lieutenant governor of Maryland and former chair of the Republican National Committee.
“I can’t seriously believe that the gods will move the mountains in a way that says, ‘OK, you’re going to be the last person standing, and the nomination will be yours,’” Steele told theGrio.
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According to a series of Morning Consult surveys of potential Republican primary voters, Scott consistently polls at 1% to 2% compared with former President Donald Trump, who continues to dominate the primary field with more than 50% of those surveyed.
Steele, who endorsed then-candidate Joe Biden for president over Trump in the 2020 contest, said he believes Scott doesn’t have a chance in the Republican primary because he has not demonstrated that he can stand up against Trump, and the GOP is beholden to the former president.
“I think it’s important to understand where the Republican Party is right now,” said Steele. “The Republican Party is no longer the party of Ronald Reagan and Bush 41 or Eisenhower, or hell, even Lincoln.”
Scott also faces an uphill battle as it relates to Black voters, who overwhelmingly vote Democratic. In his home state of South Carolina, for example, more than 90 percent of Black voters cast their ballot for Biden over Trump.
“Black voters in South Carolina know who Tim Scott is,” Christale Spain, chairwoman of the South Carolina Democratic Party, told theGrio.
Spain, elected the first Black woman to lead the state’s Democratic Party earlier this month, said she believes Black voters will reject Scott for his record on critical policy important to the African-American community.
“Black voters saw Tim Scott vote against the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. Black voters saw Tim Scott in 2017 be the architect of a tax scam that really did nothing for Black voters,” argued Spain. “It didn’t do anything for South Carolinians. It only helped the ultra-wealthy.”
Conservative political strategist Shermichael Singleton sees Scott’s record differently. As it relates to Republican primary voters, he told theGrio Scott’s work on the Trump tax cuts — which included a provision encouraging investment in “distressed communities” — and his leadership on passing the bipartisan criminal justice reform legislation, The First Step Act, will strengthen his chances.
Singleton, who has advised several Republican presidential campaigns, noted that Scott has a pretty good reputation on Capitol Hill on both sides of the aisle.
“Staffers on the Democratic side in the Senate … like Tim Scott. They actually enjoy working with his office,” he said. “They’ll say, ‘I don’t really agree with him on policy … but he is great to work with because he actually does want to try to find common ground on some things.’”
Scott’s bipartisan work on the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, however, ended in a stalemate when he and Democratic lawmakers called to the negotiation table failed to come to an agreement related to qualified immunity.
Singleton admits it was a long shot that Scott could get his Republican colleagues to budge on the issue of police reform but said he should get credit for trying. “Tim Scott went into those negotiations with other Republicans handicapped,” he said. “But the fact that he recognized this is important, we got to do something on this and tried, that should not be overlooked.”
He added, “It is difficult for one person to be able to whip enough support for one thing, especially when people are saying, ‘I don’t know about this.’”
Democrats and Black voters also criticized Scott for saying “America is not a racist country” in his 2021 Republican rebuttal to Biden’s joint address to Congress.
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“Black Americans … when they have a Black leader, they want one that is going to stand up and speak the truth,” said Spain of the South Carolina Democratic Party. “Tim Scott is from Charleston, a place that has a very well-documented racist history … so to say that America isn’t a racist place is beyond me.”
Steele similarly slammed Scott for his remarks, telling theGrio, “Who honestly could sit there and look at 250 years of history and go, ‘Yeah, there’s no racism here at all.’ Jim Crow, anybody? I mean, what the hell are we talking about?”
Singleton said criticism of Scott for his comments on race in America isn’t a fair assessment compared with Black Democratic leaders who’ve made similar comments on race.
He noted that Vice President Kamala Harris said she also did not believe America was a racist country but that “we need to speak the truth about history.”
“If you’re gonna say that Tim Scott isn’t speaking truth to power, you must say the same thing about Kamala Harris,” said Singleton.
He also recalled then-President Barack Obama telling the graduating class of 2013 at Morehouse College that racism was “no excuse” for Black men not to excel. “If you’re going to hold Tim Scott to this barometer, then you must do the same for the others,” Singleton argued.
Democrats in South Carolina wasted no time in organizing against Scott’s presidential campaign. On Monday, the state party erected a mobile billboard outside his rally in his hometown of North Charleston. The billboard featured a clip of Scott telling Fox News’ Sean Hannity that there are “probably not many” differences between him and what the South Carolina Democratic Party characterized as “Trump’s dangerous policy positions.”
Singleton admits that Scott has a “tough road ahead” in his 2024 presidential ambition but believes entering the race gives him an opportunity to “elevate himself” and “work out some of the kinks that may exist for him as a potential national candidate.”
Given his chances based on polling, he believes Scott’s ultimate goal is to run in 2028 or perhaps be in consideration as a 2024 vice presidential running mate. “I would be surprised if whoever ultimately gets the nomination doesn’t consider him as a running mate,” said Singleton.
He also pointed to Scott’s $22 million war chest. “Scott is known as being a pretty good fundraiser,” he said. “Donors really like Scott, his story and his message.”
Gerren Keith Gaynor is a White House Correspondent and the Managing Editor of Politics at theGrio. He is based in Washington, D.C.
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FAQs
What does Tim Scott believe in? ›
He added during the recent interview with NBC that he's backed legislation to ban abortion after both 20 weeks and 15 weeks. "I believe that life has intrinsic value, because it comes from God. I have a 100% pro-life voting record. I'm 100% pro-life conservative.
What did Tim Scott do? ›Before entering politics, Scott worked in financial services. Scott is one of 11 African Americans to have served in the U.S. Senate, and the first to have served in both chambers of Congress. He is the seventh African-American elected to the Senate and the fourth from the Republican Party.
Where is Tim Scott from? ›Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina struck all the right conservative chords during his presidential announcement in his hometown of North Charleston on Monday.
Where did Tim Scott go to college? › What business did Tim Scott start? ›After college, he started selling insurance, eventually growing Tim Scott Allstate into a 3,000-customer business.
Who was the first black senator in U.S. history? ›Hiram Rhodes Revels (left) was the first African American to serve in the U.S. Senate; Carol Moseley Braun was the first African American woman elected to the chamber.
Who is the only black US senator? ›At presidential campaign announcement, Republican Tim Scott blasts Democratic President Joe Biden and what he calls the 'radical left' Tim Scott, the only Black Republican in the US Senate, has announced his presidential candidacy, blasting the current office holder, Democrat Joe Biden, along the way.
Is South Carolina conservative? ›Presently, South Carolina's government is formed as a representative democracy. South Carolina is a largely conservative, Republican state.
Who is Tim Scott in South Carolina? ›In a 2014 special election to serve out the remainder of his term, Scott became the first Black candidate to win a statewide race in South Carolina since the Reconstruction era. Before that, Scott had just been elected to his second term representing South Carolina's 1st Congressional District.
Did Tim Scott play in the NFL? ›Scott signed with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent on May 9, 2015.
Who is Tim Scott's mom? ›
Senator Tim Scott is kicking off his Women's History Month video series with a sit-down interview with his mother, Frances Scott.
How many representatives does South Carolina have? ›Current members
The current U.S. House delegation from South Carolina has 7 members, including 6 Republicans and 1 Democrat.
Senator Tim Scott is not married.
Who is backing Tim Scott? ›Sen. John Thune, the Senate's No. 2 Republican, is endorsing the presidential campaign of Sen. Tim Scott, according to a person familiar with his plans. The South Dakota senator will appear at Scott's presidential launch on Monday in South Carolina, the person said.
Who is the first black millionaire? ›Madam C.J.
Walker (1867-1919), who started life as a Louisiana sharecropper born to formerly enslaved parents in 1867, is usually cited as the first Black millionaire.
There currently are 58 African-American representatives and two African-American delegates in the United States House of Representatives, representing 28 states, plus the U.S. Virgin Islands and the District of Columbia. Most are members of the Congressional Black Caucus.
How many African Americans have been in Congress? ›Sixty-two of the 186 African Americans who have served in Congress are current Members—59 in the House and three in the Senate. In total, there have been 176 Black Members of the House of Representatives and eleven Senators. One has served in both chambers.
Who was the first black woman senator? ›Moseley Braun was the first African-American woman elected to the U.S. Senate, the first African-American U.S. Senator from the Democratic Party, the first woman to defeat an incumbent U.S. Senator in the primaries for the nomination by a major party, and the first female U.S. Senator from Illinois.
Who was the first non white senator? ›He took the oath of office on February 25, 1870. Senator Hiram Revels of Mississippi was the first African American member of the United States Senate. He took the oath of office on February 25, 1870.
Which black was the first one to serve a full term in the U.S. Senate? ›
In 1870 Hiram Revels of Mississippi became the first African American senator. Five years later Blanche K. Bruce of Mississippi took the oath of office and became the first African American to preside over the Senate and to serve a full term.
What is the most liberal state? ›- Massachusetts. Massachusetts is the most liberal state in the U.S., with 35% of voters identifying as liberal. ...
- Hawaii. Hawaii is the second-most liberal state in the United States. ...
- Rhode Island. ...
- California. ...
- New York. ...
- Vermont. ...
- Maryland. ...
- New Jersey.
Wyoming is the most Republican state in the U.S.. 67% of residents in Wyoming identify as Republican or Republican-leaning. Wyoming has low taxes across the board, including no state income tax.
Is North Carolina a red or blue state? ›In the three presidential elections since 2008, Indiana and North Carolina went back to supporting Republicans. Virginia has continued voting for the Democratic presidential nominees (as well as increasingly electing Democrats at the state level), leading to its being reclassified as a blue state in recent years.
Who is the pastor running for office in South Carolina? ›John Mark Burns (born September 21, 1979) is an American evangelical minister, televangelist and political candidate who is the pastor of the Harvest Praise & Worship Center in South Carolina.
Who is the House of Representative of Rock Hill SC? ›Congressman Ralph Norman is a lifelong resident of South Carolina's 5th district.
Is Tim Scott in office? › Was Tim Couch a good quarterback? ›All-time ranks. Couch ranks second (after Baker Mayfield) for the Browns in all-time career completion percentage at 59.8% (600 attempts or more). He also ranks 7th all-time in touchdown passes (64), 6th in QB rating (75.1), 4th in passing attempts (1,741), 3rd in completions (1,025), 5th in passing yards (11,131).
How many years did Tim Couch play in the NFL? ›Timothy Scott "Tim" Couch (born July 31, 1977) is a former American college and professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons.
How long was Tim Brown in the NFL? ›...
Tim Brown (American football)
| The Arena League | |
|---|---|
| College: | Notre Dame (1984–1987) |
| NFL Draft: | 1988 / Round: 1 / Pick: 6 |
| Career history | |
| Los Angeles / Oakland Raiders (1988–2003) Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2004) | |
Why did Melissa leave Scott's dad? ›
However, as a result of Rafael's struggle with alcoholism, their relationship began to fray, which ultimately led to their divorce when the two got into a fight while Rafael was intoxicated and he accidentally pushed Scott down the stairs.
Is Scott's mom a nurse? ›Melissa McCall (née Delgado) is Scott McCall's mother with her ex-husband Rafael McCall and works as an R.N. nurse at Beacon Hills Hospital.
Does Tim Scott have siblings? › How many Democrats are in the South Carolina state House? ›The current House membership is made up of 88 Republicans and 36 Democrats.
Who is the black congressman from South Carolina? ›James E. Clyburn | Congress.gov | Library of Congress.
Who is the majority leader in the U.S. Senate? ›Her tie-breaking vote established a Democratic majority in the Senate, making Charles Schumer the majority leader and Mitch McConnell the minority leader. Sources: Baker, Richard A.
What ethnicity is Bobby Scott? ›Scott was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Newport News, Virginia. He is of African American and Filipino descent. His father, Charles Waldo Scott, was a pioneering African American surgeon and in 1952 became the first African American appointed to the Newport News school board in the 20th century.
Where does Bobby Scott live? › What congressional district is Bobby Scott? › What has Lindsey Graham done for SC? ›Graham was elected to the United States Senate in 2002 and was re-elected in 2008, 2014, and 2020. He became the first person in South Carolina history to garner over one million votes in the 2008 general election. Graham currently serves as the Ranking Member on the Senate Committee on the Judiciary.
Who is Lindsey Graham married to? ›
South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham is unmarried.
How old is Senator Graham? › Who pays Lindsey Graham's legal fees? ›Almost all the funds came from executives of companies that rely on the federal government or the political committees of fellow senators.
Does Lindsey Graham have a law degree? ›During his studies, he became a member of the Pi Kappa Phi social fraternity. He graduated from the University of South Carolina with a B.A. in psychology in 1977, and from the University of South Carolina School of Law with a J.D. in 1981.
How much money does Lindsey Graham have? ›with an estimated net worth of $969,022 in 2018.
Who is the black senator from South Carolina? ›In a 2014 special election to serve out the remainder of his term, Scott became the first Black candidate to win a statewide race in South Carolina since the Reconstruction era. Before that, Scott had just been elected to his second term representing South Carolina's 1st Congressional District.