Tim Scott Officially Joins the 2024 Circus
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) filed paperwork with the Federal Election Commission on Friday declaring his candidacy for the 2024 Republican nomination for president. Scott is the sixth candidate to enter the field, which is only going to grow.
“American families are starving for hope. We need to have faith. Faith in God, faith in each other, and faith in America,” Scott tweeted on Thursday, alongside a photo of himself featuring the slogan “Tim Scott: Faith In America.”
More from Rolling Stone
American families are starving for hope.
We need to have faith.
Faith in God, faith in each other, and faith in America. pic.twitter.com/59Bha0JpEk— Tim Scott (@votetimscott) May 18, 2023
Scott teased an official campaign launch next Monday, and according to The New York Times will enter the race with more than $22 million cash on hand. The campaign will launch alongside a $5.5 million ad campaign in key battleground states. Shortly after news of the campaign filing broke, Scott picked up his first major endorsement from a fellow senator– South Dakota’s Sen. Mike Rounds (R).
As of now, Donald Trump remains the clear frontrunner among Republican voters. Other declared candidates — including former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, and radio host Larry Elder — have struggled to make a dent in the former president’s polling. Scott himself continues to poll around 2 percent with prospective voters.
In a statement provided to Rolling Stone, Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison said Scott’s policies as a legislator where in line with Trump’s “MAGA agenda.”
“Tim Scott wants to govern from the ‘far, conservative right’ as a proud member of the Tea Party, and his extreme record proves it. Even before he refused to name a policy difference with Trump, Scott was a fierce advocate of the MAGA agenda – supporting national abortion bans and championing plans to end Medicare and Social Security as we know them,” Harrison said. “There’s no question that special interests are celebrating as Tim Scott throws his hat into the 2024 race for the MAGA base.”
Scott isn’t the only prominent Republican expected to launch his campaign next week. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis — who’s already been selected by Trump as his nemesis for the 2024 primary cycle — will reportedly make an official announcement on May 24. DeSantis pitched his campaign to donors on Thursday, arguing that it’s a three-man race between him, Trump, and President Biden, and that he’s the only Republican who has any chance of winning the White House.
As Republicans prepare for a contentious 2024 battle, we can only hope the RNC held onto all the debate podiums from 2016. They might need them.
Best of Rolling Stone
