Apparently, on the verge of making his presidential campaign official, U.S. Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) plans to be back in first-nominating states Iowa and New Hampshire next week following a “major announcement.”
Scott plans to make said major announcement Monday in his hometown of North Charleston. He will travel to Sioux City in western Iowa on Wednesday, and to Merrimack, New Hampshire, on Thursday, according to the campaign. Details are pending.
“After a major announcement, I am excited to be back on the road talking to Iowans and Granite Staters. Americans are ready for new leadership leadership that will stand in defense of the conservative values that make our nation exceptional,” Scott said.
The senator last month rolled out a presidential exploratory committee. He’s been steadily moving toward joining the increasingly crowded field of GOP presidential candidates, including former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, Ohio businessman and political outsider Vivek Ramaswamy, former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, and frontrunner, former President Donald Trump.
Scott was in Iowa two weeks ago, including a stop in suburban Des Moines.
He comes back with a fresh endorsement from fellow Senator Mike Rounds (R-SD), the first senator to endorse a candidate not named Trump for president in 2024. Rounds called Scott “the closest to Ronald Reagan that you’re going to see.”
“I believe he will build a good team. He’s got a business background. He’s got a great personal story and he understands and he truly cares about people,” Rounds told The Washington Examiner.
Former Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam has confirmed he will serve as co-chair of Scott’s presidential campaign.
The latest RealClearPolitics average of GOP presidential primary polls shows Trump with a commanding lead at 56 percent. The former president is followed distantly by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (19.9%), who is expected to announce his campaign this month, former Vice President Mike Pence (5.9 percent), Haley (4.3 percent), Ramaswamy (3.5 percent), and Scott (2 percent). Four other declared and presumptive candidates, including Hutchinson, are polling at 1.3 percent or lower.
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M.D. Kittle is the National Political Editor for The Star News Network.
Photo “Tim Scott” by Tim Scott.
