Republican South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott announced an “exploratory committee for president” Wednesday, his first step in entering the 2024 race.
“I know that America is a land of opportunity, not oppression. I know it, because I’ve lived it,” Scott said in a video announcing his run. “I will never back down in defense of the conservative values that make America exceptional, and that’s why I’m announcing my exploratory committee for president of the United States.”
Scott described his positive experience in America and intends on defending the Judeo-Christian values that make the country great, according to the video. The senator has been widely perceived to run for the Republican nomination in 2024, and the video announcement is the latest indication of his aspirations.
I will never back down in defense of the conservative values that make America exceptional.
That’s why I’m announcing my exploratory committee for President of the United States.
This fight is personal.
I want every American to have the same opportunities I had. pic.twitter.com/HV56pbyKdB
— Tim Scott (@votetimscott) April 12, 2023
In the campaign-like video, Scott listed some of the things he might do as president – standing up to China, restoring job opportunities, parental rights in education, solving the border crisis, defending streets from crime and protecting the right to life. (RELATED: Sen. Tim Scott Inches Towards Possible Presidential Bid)
The committee will serve as an early fundraising tool for Scott as he continues to weigh a presidential run, according to The Post and Courier. Exploratory committees, whose funds can later be transferred to a campaign, are common among Republican presidential candidates and have been used by both Sen. Mitt Romney and former Sen. John McCain.
“Joe Biden and the radical left have chosen a culture of grievance over greatness. They’re promoting victimhood over responsibility. And they’re indoctrinating our children to believe that we live in an evil country,” Scott said. “And all too often when they get called out for their failures, they weaponize race to divide us, to hold on to their power.”
The senator’s announcement comes the same day Scott is in the early primary state of Iowa before heading to New Hampshire the next day, and then on to South Carolina, The Post and Courier reported. If Scott runs, he will join fellow South Carolinian and former Gov. Nikki Haley, as well as former President Donald Trump, conservative businessman Vivek Ramaswamy and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson.
“Tim Scott wants to govern from the ‘far, conservative right’ as a proud member of the Tea Party, and his extreme record proves it,” Jaime Harrison, chair of the Democratic National Committee, said in a statement in response to Scott’s announcement. “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.”
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.