Sen. Tim Scott: 5 things to know about this SC senator and 2024 presidential candidate

By Ryan Foley, Christian Post Reporter Tuesday, May 23, 2023

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., questions U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell as he testifies at a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on the Fed's 'Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to the Congress,' on Capitol Hill on March 3, 2022, in Washington, D.C. — Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., questions U.S. Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell as he testifies at a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing on the Fed's "Semiannual Monetary Policy Report to the Congress," on Capitol Hill on March 3, 2022, in Washington, D.C. | Tom Williams-Pool/Getty Images

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., became the latest entry into the Republican presidential primary Monday. With less than 18 months to go until the 2024 presidential election, Scott joins a growing field, including former President Donald Trump, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and radio talk show host Larry Elder.

Scott received a warm welcome into the race from Trump, who's currently the frontrunner in the race for the Republican nomination.

“Good luck to Senator Tim Scott in entering the Republican Presidential Primary Race,” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “It is rapidly loading up with lots of people, and Tim is a big step up from Ron DeSanctimonious, who is totally unelectable.”

Trump’s “DeSanctimonious” comment is a dig at Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is widely expected to declare his candidacy later this week. DeSantis is the only candidate who comes close to matching Trump’s showing in the RealClearPolitics average of polls sampling the opinions of Republican primary voters as all other declared and potential candidates, including Scott, remain in the single digits.

DeSantis is viewed among some conservatives as a more electable alternative to Trump in light of his blowout re-election victory in a crucial swing state last year, as Republicans across the country largely underperformed in most other swing states. Still, Trump remains the dominant force in the Republican primary, securing 56.3% support to DeSantis’ 19.4%.

While Scott currently polls at 1.8% in the RealClearPolitics average he boasts enormous financial resources in the form of $21.7 million in cash on hand leftover from his re-election campaign last year.

Here are five things to know about the latest Republican to announce his intentions to seek the White House in 2024.