Tim Scott of South Carolina, the sole Black Republican Senator, announced his exploratory committee to run for the Republican nomination to challenge former president Donald Trump in 2024.
Mr Scott released his announcement video which was set near Fort Sumter, where the first shots of the Civil War were fired, and said that political divisions set on by President Joe Biden and Democrats threatened to divide the nation once again.
“Joe Biden and the radical left have chosen a culture of grievance over greatness,” he said. “They're promoting victimhood instead of personal responsibility, and they're indoctrinating our children to believe we live in an evil country. And all too often when they get called out for their failures, they weaponize race to divide us to hold on to their power.”
Mr Scott mentioned how frequently, Democrats have called him a “prop” because of the fact he’s the sole Black Republican in the upper chamber.
“They know the truth of my life disproves their lies,” he said, highlighting his humble beginnings.
Mr Scott first won election to the House of Representatives in 2010. When Senator Jim DeMint resigned abruptly, former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley appointed him to the seat. Ms Haley announced her candidacy for the Republican nomination in February.
Since joining the Senate, Mr Scott remained a reliable party-line, voting for the Trump tax cuts and to repeal Obamacare in 2017. He also voted for all of Mr Trump’s Supreme Court nominees, Justices Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Coney Barrett and Neil Gorsuch.
At the same time, he has spoken about racism in the United States, talking about how he was racially profiled by police. He also voted against the nomination of a judicial nominee who was accused of intimidating Black voters.
He and Senator Cory Booker attempted to negotiate a police reform in the previous Congress after Minneapolis police killed George Floyd. But negotiations ultimately failed. He hinted at reigniting talks after Memphis police were caught on video assaulting Tyre Nichols, who later died.
Mr Scott’s announcements marks the fourth candidate in the race for the Republican nomination. Along with him, Ms Haley and Mr Trump, Republican businessman Vivek Ramaswamy announced his candidacy.
As the junior Senator from an early primary state, Mr Scott could likely put in a strong performance in the Palmetto State, but he could also siphon votes from Ms Haley.
So far, the state’s current Governor Henry McMaster and Mr Scott’s colleague Senator Lindsey Graham have gotten behind Mr Trump. The field is likely to get more crowded as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who polls second behind Mr Trump in many surveys, is expected to announce later this year.
