U.S. Sen. Tim Scott appears likely to become the second South Carolinian to enter the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
In announcing formation of an exploratory committee to determine the potential of a campaign, Scott made clear his mission is not about opposing former S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley or even GOP frontrunner and former President Donald Trump. Scott says his campaign is and would be about hope. As the only Black Republican in the U.S. Senate, Scott said he understands both the power of hope and the difficulty of overcoming obstacles.
Before his announcement, Scott wrote in the New York Post:
“There’s not enough that can be said about the power of hope.
“When I look around America today, I see a people yearning for it, but instead being sold a drug of victimhood and the narcotic of despair by the radical Left.
“Something’s changed. It’s not the people that have changed.
“No, the American people still have their defining desire and passion for greatness.
“What’s changed is the message they’re told day in and day out by leaders who can’t see beyond the past.
“The hope isn’t gone, it just needs to be nurtured and shared.”
Scott faces long odds in becoming the nominee – and some will say his campaign is about a potential nomination for vice president or a future run for the presidency.
Pundits best be careful as Scott knows how to overcome.
“When I fought back against their liberal agenda, they called me a prop. A token. Because I disrupt their narrative. I threaten their control.”
During a trip to Iowa, Scott bemoaned Democratic leaders as needlessly dividing the country by fostering a “culture of grievance.” He positioned himself as the antidote to the “the radical left,” a self-made success story as the son of a single mother who overcame poverty.
In the New York Post, Scott further stated, “Millions of Americans can tell you that obstacles came first and the opportunities came second. But it’s those opportunities that give us a reason to take on those obstacles, rather than throw in the towel before the fight even begins.
“Yet, today, there’s a cycle in which people want you to believe what they say in spite of what you see. …
“I am living the American dream. I have held the truth, the unalienable truth, that all men and women are created equal and endowed by our Creator with the right to be free. I am not merely a believer in the principle of America; I am an eyewitness. …”
“America can do for so many what it has done for me.”
Tim Scott may not become president in 2024 or ever, but for someone looking to lead America, he has the right message. We share his call for a rebirth of hope in a nation that is intrinsically good and needs to remind itself of no less.
— Times and Democrat, Orangeburg
