Sen. Tim Scott: 5 things to know about this SC senator and 2024 presidential candidate
1. Appointed to the U.S. Senate by Nikki Haley
Scott’s tenure in the U.S. Senate began in 2013, shortly after then-South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley appointed him to the seat left vacant by the resignation of fellow Republican Jim DeMint. Haley’s appointment of Scott, who represented South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives at the time, made him the first African American U.S. Senator to represent the state since Reconstruction. A decade later, Haley and Scott are now rivals for the GOP nomination for president.
Since his initial appointment to the U.S. Senate, Scott has had to face the voters of South Carolina three times. In his bid to finish out the remainder of DeMint’s term in 2014, Scott secured 61.2% of the vote, finishing far ahead of Democrat Joyce Dickerson, who captured 37.1% of the vote.
As he sought his first full term in 2016, Scott won the support of 60.5% of South Carolina voters. Six years later, Scott won a second full term with 62.9% of the vote.
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: [email protected]