Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina is running for president.
Mr. Scott, the sole Black Republican in the Senate, filed his paperwork on Friday with the Federal Election Commission.
He has been traveling to the early primary states to test-drive a forward-looking, optimistic message, and sharing his life story of growing up poor “on the wrong side of the tracks” with a single mother in the Deep South.
The 57-year-old is expected to make a formal announcement Monday at his alma mater, Charleston Southern University, a private Baptist school.
Mr. Scott is also set to start airing television commercials in Iowa and New Hampshire next week as part of a $6 million ad buy.
The conservative lawmaker is joining a race that features former President Donald Trump, and fellow South Carolina Republican Nikki Haley who, as governor, appointed Mr. Scott to his seat in 2012 after Republican Sen. Jim DeMint retired.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida and former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie are also expected to launch bids over the coming days, signaling the race is about to pick up speed.
Christale Spain, chair of the South Carolina Democratic Party, welcomed Mr. Scott to the race by labeling him a “Tea Party extremist.”
“From promising to sign the most conservative abortion ban possible as president, to doubling down on his role as ’architect’ of the 2017 GOP tax scam that pushed tax cuts for the ultra-wealthy at the expense of working families, Scott has proven himself to be just as MAGA as the rest of the 2024 field,” Ms. Spain said.
Mr. Scott also took incoming fire from Trump allies.
Karoline Leavitt, a spokesperson for the “MAGA War Room” and a former Trump White House spokeswoman, attacked Mr. Scott’s record.
Ms. Leavitt, who lost what was widely considered a winnable race for the House in New Hampshire last year, cast Mr. Scott as weak on immigration.
She also highlighted his insistence that a $54 billion aid package for Ukraine that passed Congress last year was “too little support,” as well as his vote to confirm Janet Yellen as treasury secretary.
As for Mr. Scott, he helped lead the charge for the Trump tax cuts and was a top advocate for so-called opportunity zones that provide incentives for private investment in rundown communities.
He also served as the point person for Republicans in the post-George Floyd legislative push to overhaul law enforcement, giving him a chance to showcase his negotiating skills.
Since launching a presidential exploratory in April, Mr. Scott struck out on a listening tour that gave him a chance to mingle with crowds in the first-in-the-nation caucus state of Iowa, the first-in-the-nation primary state of New Hampshire, and back home in South Carolina, host of the first-in-the-South primary.
Speaking at a recent town hall in Iowa, Mr. Scott said his grandfather, born in 1921, lived long enough to see the evolution of the nation and taught him to have a “stubborn faith” in the country.
“It is one of the reasons we talk about from cotton to Congress in one lifetime, because my grandfather who was picking cotton as a third-grader lived long enough to watch his grandson pick out a seat in Congress,” Mr. Scott said. “That is really the story of America — that all things are possible.”
Mr. Scott has leaned into traditional conservative ideas, stressing the importance of personal responsibility and touting his Christian faith.
He has espoused some familiar GOP views, knocking President Biden and Democrats for refusing to focus more on bolstering border security, and for their out-of-control spending.
Still a relatively unknown commodity on the national stage, Mr. Scott faces steep challenges.
For starters, he barely registers in GOP presidential polls that show Mr. Trump is dominating the fledgling race.
The latest Real Clear Politics average of surveys shows Mr. Trump leading his closest rival, Mr. DeSantis, by a 56% to 20% margin.
Mr. Scott comes in at 2% — enough to put him alongside a trio of long-shot declared candidates: businessman Vivek Ramaswamy, conservative talk show host Larry Elder, and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
Mr. Scott is betting that voters have an appetite for his unique personal story and sunny disposition — hoping it distances him from Mr. Trump’s no-hold-barred approach to politics.
The coming months will sort out whether that is wishful thinking on his part.
What is clear is that Mr. Scott is among the most well-liked members of the Senate.
Indeed, Sen. Mike Rounds of South Dakota endorsed him this week, telling The Washington Examiner, “I think he is the closest to Ronald Reagan that you’re going to see.”
Before being appointed to the Senate, Mr. Scott was elected to the House in 2010. He also served on the Charleston County Council for 13 years, and in the South Carolina House of Representatives for two years.
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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