South Carolina Republican state Sen. Tim Scott appears to have the go-ahead within the party, even among traditional allies of former U.S. President Donald Trump, for the possibility that he could run in the primaries for the 2024 presidential race.
Although Scott has not made a statement for the moment regarding a possible candidacy in the party’s primaries, several Republican colleagues are betting on him after his good results in the past mid-term elections and his increasing national projection.
Even among Trump’s supporters, Scott’s proposal would be received with some enthusiasm, among them the person in charge of Republican policies within the Senate, Joni Ernst, who claims to be «very excited» about such a possibility, and Lindsey Graham, one of the staunchest supporters of the former president.
For Graham, Scott has «one of the most compelling stories of any Republican» and has not ruled out that he could endorse him in a hypothetical White House bid. «He will contribute from day one,» he said.
Among the most outspoken is John Barrasso, who has said «there’s nothing better than Tim Scott.» The senator for Wyoming has been in recent years on Trump’s side, voting against his motion of censure, justifying his alleged dealings with Russia when he was a candidate in 2016 and even not rejecting that he supported the Capitol assailants of January 6, 2021.
Scott also has the endorsement also of several of the high-ranking Republicans, such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. The fact that he is African-American is an incentive for the formation that for decades has been seeking to promote figures with racial diversity in an attempt to attract the electorate that opts more for Democratic options, highlights ‘Politico’.
The fact that the recent announcement of Trump’s candidacy to try again to reach the White House has been marked by his numerous court cases and his meeting with an avowed white supremacist has been able to spur many within the party to present an alternative that a few months ago had all the chances of failing miserably.
For North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis, «having someone like Tim in the equation is positive for the Republicans». An alternative that could be joined by other favorites to challenge Trump’s de facto power, such as the governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, or former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
We will have to wait at least until the first quarter of next year to begin to glimpse who or who, if anyone dares, will dare to rival Trump in his aspirations to return to the White House after his abrupt and ill-fitting departure after losing to Joe Biden in 2020.
Scott could be one of them, as he himself recently suggested somewhat veiled after winning re-election to his seat. «My grandfather voted for the first man of color elected president of the United States. I wish I had lived long enough to see, perhaps, another man of color elected president of the United States» and «Republican this time, not just Democrat,» he said.
