Tim Scott’s money chase
Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) has spent plenty of time in New Hampshire, along with Iowa and other early voting states in the Republican nomination process. But Scott also is heeding the old maxim about ready money being a candidate’s best friend in a presidential race.
Scott’s presidential exploratory committee is having a fundraising “call day” and retreat in Charleston, South Carolina, on May 23. Per an invite, the event runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and includes breakfast and lunch, with time otherwise consumed by donor calls and a political briefing.
Scott, a senator for the past decade after two years in the House, is the lone black Republican who has launched a presidential exploratory committee for the 2024 cycle. He’s running an optimistic Reagan-style future-oriented campaign, compared to the backward-looking vibe of former President Donald Trump’s bid that has endlessly rehashed false claims about his 2020 loss to Biden.
Scott announced his exploratory committee on April 11. At the end of 2022, Scott had $21.8 million in his Senate reelection account coffers. If he decides to run, the senator can direct the money toward his presidential campaign.
So, the May 23 daylong Scott fundraising activities suggest he’s ready to jump into the race soon. If Scott does seek the GOP nomination for the right to challenge Biden in 2024, he’ll join Trump in the Republican scrum, along with former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley,
ex-Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson,
and “anti-woke” businessman Vivek Ramaswamy.
Potential 2024 Republican presidential candidates include former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, ex-Vice President Mike Pence, and New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu.★