‘This Fight Is Personal’: Tim Scott Launches Presidential Exploratory Committee

Senator Tim Scott from South Carolina, a Republican, has publicized the formation of an exploratory committee for the United States presidential election, positioning himself as the fifth proclaimed Republican candidate in 2024. In a video shared on Wednesday of him walking through Fort Sumter on the anniversary of the beginning of the Civil War, Scott stated that he would always defend conservative ideals that make America unique. He focused on race, alleging that President Joe Biden and his party are weaponizing it and conveying the notion that the United States is an evil country.

Scott affirmed that Democrats use race to “divide us” and accused them of labeling him as a “token” and “prop” because he is the only black Republican in the United States Senate. Education, particularly school choice, was emphasized by the senator in the announcement since he has been advocating for it in the Senate for years. For instance, he co-sponsored a 2018 measure to broaden school choice for military families and reintroduced it later.

In the Republican race, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley, former president Donald Trump, former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson, and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy are among Scott’s opponents. Nevertheless, he is facing a tough challenge in the Republican primary, which is dominated by a two-man race between Trump and Florida governor Ron DeSantis. Polls indicate that Trump would receive 56 percent of the support of probable Republican voters, DeSantis would get 23 percent, and the others would all get single digits, with Scott getting just 1%.

In the announcement, Scott did not refer to his primary competitors and instead targeted Biden, who he said had “chosen a culture of grievance over greatness.”

More declarations are possible in the future, including from DeSantis, former vice president Mike Pence, and former secretary of state Mike Pompeo.