When South Carolina Senator Tim Scott entered the 2024 presidential race, his announcement was mostly greeted with head-scratching skepticism from pundits. He was immediately cast as a candidate that would remain stuck in single digits. That still may be true, but he could be the dark horse candidate (no pun intended) of the season.
I say that from both a professional and personal view. My personal view is reflected in the fact that I may switch my vote in the Florida primary from Governor Ron DeSantis – who I like a lot – to Scott. It has to do with messaging – what these guys are saying. As a conservative, I look past the politics of personality and personal destruction – as President Clinton dubbed it – to the positions they take. I like to see if what they think is important is what I think is important.
Most of the current field of Republican presidential candidates seem to be fighting AGAINST. I prefer to know what a candidate is fighting FOR. Ironically, both can be addressing the same issues and even have the same goals – but it is how they fight that makes the difference. It is why I often said I like a lot of President Trump’s policies, but not his pugnacious and mendacious personality. Consequently, Trump is off my list of candidates who will get my vote in the Florida primary – even if he is still in the race.
My preference for Scott may be because of President Reagan. In fact, I have frequently recommended that candidates study Reagan to see the perfect match of issues and personality. Scott seems to have that balance.
Scott has a compelling personal narrative. He was raised in the all too typical environment of a black man. He was raised in poverty by a single mother who worked as a nurse aide. As a maturing young man, he faced all the hardships and temptations of ghetto life. Scott says he overcame those personal challenges through his mother’s instilled faith and the guidance of mentors. His first mentor was John Moniz, the owner of a local Chick-fil-A.
Though he grew up in the South, Scott was born as the era of Jim Crow was ending. His affiliation with the Republican Party was based on conservative values and possibly the fact that the rise of the GOP in South Carolina coincided with his rise into manhood.
After several jobs, Scott started his own Allstate insurance franchise. At the age of 30, he won a seat on the Charleston County Council with 80 percent of the white majority vote – and was the first Republican to be elected to office in South Carolina since the Reconstruction era of the late 1800s.
In 2008, he was elected to the South Carolina State House of Representatives – and in 2010 to the United States House. In 2012, Governor Nikki Haley appointed Scott to the United States Senate – replacing Senator Jim DeMint, who resigned to become head of the Heritage Foundation.
Despite his impressive resume, Scott announced his presidential plans without much name recognition on the national scene. But the more people know about him and hear from him, his popularity is bound to increase. At least, that is how I see it.
What attracts me to Scott is his issue-based, common sense, forward-looking, positive messaging. He has a pro-American patriotic message that clears the air of the left’s foggy mendacious woke narratives. In many ways, he is the one GOP candidate who has embraced the Reagan style and messages.
His “Faith in America” theme has a couple of meanings. A commitment to the moral principles of most religious doctrines and the generic use of the word “faith,” to mean confidence in American values and culture.
Scott has been an advocate of unity throughout his career. In the Senate, he has co-sponsored a number of bills with uber leftwing Democrat Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio – including legislation that would penalize and fine bankers for the lending practices that led to serial bank failures.
Rather than talk about the past election – or cast his campaign as another anti-Trump enterprise – Scott talks about such controversial issues as school choice and abortion. He pushes back against Democrat claims of pandemic American racism and the corrupting effects of generational welfare dependency.
Though he does not dwell on the culture war political model, Scott takes on a number of the left’s major narratives dealing with identity politics. He takes a commonsense approach to gender self-determination, trans men in women’s sports, and so-called male pregnancies by trans women.
He remains a long shot, but among his rivals in the single digit category, Scott is one who deserves closer scrutiny and more support. We will have to see if he gets it. To paraphrase a contemporary slogan, Scott seems to be determined to “Make America Proud Again.”
So, there ‘tis.