Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina on Monday officially announced he is running for president in 2024, putting his sizeable campaign war chest and optimistic message to the test in a Republican primary race that has so far been former President Donald Trump’s to lose.
Scott, the Senate’s only Black Republican, in an announcement speech in North Charleston balanced his faith and his family’s story with attacks on Democratic President Joe Biden’s record.
“I am living proof that America is the land of opportunity, not a land of oppression,” Scott said in prepared remarks.
“Joe Biden and the radical left are attacking every rung of the ladder that helped me climb,” he said, “and that is why I am announcing today that I am running for President of the United States of America!”
Scott, 57, faces an uphill battle: Polls of the prospective primary field show him trailing many other presidential contenders, including fellow South Carolina Republican Nikki Haley, who entered the race in February. Trump has easily led the pack since launching his campaign last year, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis consistently ranking as the top alternative.
But Scott enters the race with a few key weapons in his political arsenal.
Scott is well-liked among his peers, and he is poised to jump in the race on a springboard of high-profile endorsements. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., last week delivered the first non-Trump endorsement of the 2024 cycle when he backed Scott’s impending run. Sen. John Thune, the No. 2 Senate Republican and the other senator from South Dakota, is also endorsing Scott, NBC News and other outlets reported Sunday.
“Tim Scott is the real deal, and he will make a great president of the united states,” Thune told the crowd in North Charleston before Scott took the stage.
“I don’t know about you, but I think our country is ready to be inspired again.”
Scott also holds a financial advantage over many of his competitors: His campaign-in-waiting had nearly $22 million in cash on hand at…
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