WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Republican U.S. Senator Tim Scott launched a presidential exploratory committee on Wednesday, taking a key step toward running for president in 2024 and challenging former President Donald Trump for the party’s nomination.
As the only Black Republican in the U.S. Senate, Scott has frequently cited America’s promise and sought to focus on his ability “to disrupt the narrative” of race, and attacked Democrats and President Joe Biden and other Democrats on crime, inflation and other issues
“This fight is personal. I want every American to have the same opportunities I had,” Scott said in a Twitter post announcing his plans, adding in a video: “This is personal to me. I will never back down in defense of the conservative values that make America exceptional.”
Scott, 57, on Wednesday will visit Iowa, the lead-off state in the Republican presidential nominating process, before heading to New Hampshire on Thursday and his home state of South Carolina on Friday. On Saturday, he will give donors and prominent supporters a “political update,” an invitation seen by Reuters showed.
Scott has taken a leading role on police-reform efforts and has spoken frequently on racial issues. He often called out Trump during his presidency over racially charged comments and blocked several of his judicial nominees for such reasons while also accusing Democrats of exploiting racial tensions for partisan gain.
Scott has described being the victim of racial prejudice but has insisted, as he put it in a 2021 speech, that “America is not a racist country.”
He would again need to take on Trump, who announced his second re-election campaign in November and last week became the first former U.S. president to be criminally indicted by a grand jury.
Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and activist investor Vivek Ramaswamy have formally launched campaigns seeking the Republican 2024 nomination.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence are also expected to run, though neither have announced their candidacy.
Polls show DeSantis as Trump’s closest rival. Scott so far has garnered no more than 2% support in almost all polls.
The Republican nominee would likely face Biden, who on Monday told NBC News’ “Today” program he planned to seek a second term but was not yet ready to formally announce it. Trump lost his re-election bid to Biden in the 2020 election.
(Reporting by Gram Slattery; Kanishka Singh and Susan heavey; Editing by Scott Malone, Gerry Doyle and Chizu Nomiyama)
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