Sen. Tim Scott Suspends Presidential Campaign

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Facts

  • South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott on Sunday announced he’s suspending his pursuit of the 2024 Republican presidential nomination and said he doesn't plan to endorse another candidate.1
  • During an appearance on Fox News, Scott said, 'I think the voters who are the most remarkable people on the planet have been really clear that they're telling me, 'Not now, Tim.''2
  • Scott started the race with a $21M lead on his rivals after he converted his Senate campaign account into a presidential fund. But when the super PAC [Political Action Committee] supporting him — Trust in the Mission PAC — pulled the remainder of its $40M ad buy in the fall, citing problems 'breaking through' with voters, it appeared he wouldn't be long for the race.3
  • The 58-year-old, who is the only Black Republican in the Senate, had been polling at 2.5% of the vote, which ranked him sixth in the RealClearPolitics average of recent polls.4
  • Scott’s departure is the second by a major candidate for the nomination, coming after former Vice President Mike Pence suspended his campaign last month.4
  • Former Pres. Donald Trump, the frontrunner, had 58.5% of the vote in the most recent RealClearPolitics average.5

Sources: 1FOX News, 2Business Insider, 3CNN, 4Al Jazeera and 5USA Today.

Narratives

  • Democratic narrative, as provided by Washington Post. Although GOP voters seemed to like Scott and his positive vibes, they didn’t want him as president — preferring instead the fire and brimstone rhetoric of Trump. As Trump’s challengers start to fall away and his hefty lead continues to hold, it's apparent that Republicans are going to bank on voters tiring of Pres. Biden rather than nominating a challenger with positivity who appeals to a wider audience.
  • Republican narrative, as provided by Breitbart. Although Scott's campaign never gained traction with the GOP electorate, it served its purpose of showing Republicans how to put 'woke' Democrats in their place, and how to approach issues of race and class with nuance. Scott hopefully attracted voters of color to the GOP, and that will likely pay off for Trump in the general election.

Predictions