Aligning himself with Trump, Sen. Tim Scott kicks off 2022 reelection campaign in SC
Senator Tim Scott is sticking with Donald Trump.
As Scott kicked off his 2022 reelection campaign Monday morning in North Charleston, the South Carolina Republican described the four years under Trump as “the good old days” and praised the former president for his leadership, especially on economic issues.
“Sometimes you’ve got to go back to the future, and that’s a future I want to go back to,” Scott said to cheers from more than 200 people who came to his campaign launch in his hometown.
His mother, Frances Scott, sat in the front row.
Scott enters the race in this solidly Republican state as a clear favorite. The 55-year-old has drawn no primary challengers from within his own party, and his campaign launch video shows Scott has already locked down a powerful slate of supporters.
In the 2-minute, 22-second video that played before Scott addressed the crowd, heavy-hitters from the Trump universe, including former Vice President Mike Pence, former Gov. Nikki Haley and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, declared, “I’m with Tim.”
Then came more GOP heavyweights including U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham, who last year won his reelection in South Carolina by 10 points, along with U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas and Marco Rubio of Florida.
Most of South Carolina’s Republican congressional delegation pledged their support to Scott, too, as did Gov. Henry McMaster and Lt. Gov. Pam Evette, who attended the event in North Charleston. One evident omission was U.S. Rep. Tom Rice, who could face a tough GOP primary after he voted to impeach Trump over his involvement in the Jan. 6 Capitol riot. When Scott was asked later Monday, at a second campaign event in Columbia, whether he’ll support Rice’s bid, Scott said declined to say and said he’s focused on his reelection.
Scott’s campaign video also sought to remind voters in the crowd that Trump supports Scott, as footage from 2017 played with Trump turning to Scott and calling him “a friend of mine, a very, very special man.”
Still, Scott reaffirmed his conservative identity during a lighthearted exchange with North Charleston attendees.
When Scott mentioned Democrat Joe Biden being in the White House, a burst of boos came from the crowd.
He raised his hand to his right ear.
“I can’t hear you,” Scott said, urging the crowd to boo louder. He staggered backward. “Oh, OK OK. I wanted to make sure this wasn’t a centrist crowd.”
So far, two Democrats have announced plans to challenge Scott: state Rep. Krystle Matthews of Berkeley County and Spartanburg County Democratic Party Chairwoman Angela Geter.
Scott has long said the 2022 race would be his last political run, but that hasn’t stopped speculation from swirling about Scott making a possible 2024 White House run. Scott has only fueled that speculation by stumping for Republicans in Iowa, the first presidential contest state. Haley also has made the trip.
Speaking to reporters in the Lowcountry ahead of his campaign kickoff, Scott again stressed that he was focused on his 2022 reelection. After his stop in North Charleston, Scott and his campaign hit the road for a rally in Columbia before heading to Greenville.
Scott told reporters in Columbia he’ll crisscross the state this week, traveling to Edgefield County before he stops in the areas of Rock Hill and Lancaster County.
Scott has been in the Senate since January 2013, after he was appointed to the post in 2012 by then-Gov. Haley after U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint quit to run the Heritage Foundation.
In winning the 2014 special election for the seat, Scott became the first African American elected to the U.S. Senate from a Southern state since Reconstruction.
Before serving in the Senate, Scott briefly represented South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District from 2011-2013.
In Congress, Scott has helped to spearhead legislation to addressed economically-challenged communities across the country — known as Opportunity Zones — and helped lead police reform efforts in Washington with Democrats U.S. Sen. Cory Booker and U.S. Rep. Karen Bass.
“We’re making progress,” Scott told reporters in Columbia. “We’re meeting every day on it, and I’m pretty confident that we are at least going to have a product that people can say yea or nay to.”
Scott, who is the only Black Republican in the U.S. Senate, said he understands the sting of racism and has faced discrimination.
“We’re going to work to make sure that this country eliminates it everywhere it is, but we are not a racist country,” Scott said to the mostly white North Charleston audience, a sentiment he reiterated in Columbia.
In an apparent swipe at critical race theory, Scott said there must be a balance between understanding history and looking forward.
“We are the future, not our past. I would ask all of us to spend more time in the windshield than we do in the little rear-view mirror. Let’s spend enough time in the rear-view mirror to understand the past, to build a foundation for the future, but let’s not dwell on the past,” Scott said.
Earlier in his speech, Scott said Democrats are “addicted” to cancel culture. “But you can’t cancel America,” he said.
State Republican Party Chairman Drew McKissick said Scott is the future of the Republican Party. He also predicted Scott’s reelection campaign will buoy other GOP races across the state and country, as Republicans look to win back majorities in both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
“He probably communicates conservative principles better than anybody else I’ve seen in a generation,” McKissick told The State before the event.
Scott also took aim at the Biden administration.
“The current administration thinks their job is to literally decide your future. That’s arrogant. It’s inconsistent with reality,” Scott said.
In his remarks, Scott also pledged to fight for lower taxes and, in an echo of his speech at the Republican National Convention, promised the American family will come together to deal with “our very challenging issues.”
Maurice Washington, the chairman of the Charleston County Republican Party and the first African American to hold that position, said Scott’s message is needed now more than ever. After the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, the local Republican party saw one of its meetings devolve into open frustration and debate about the direction of the GOP.
“This country desperately needs a uniter as opposed to a divider,” Washington said.
Now, Washington said, is the time for healing.
Reporter Maayan Schechter contributed to this report.
This story was originally published June 28, 2021 at 11:33 AM.
