Republican Senator Tim Scott Says He’s Running For President – Not Vice

Presidential candidate Senator Tim Scott spent the early part of the day courting voters at an event hosted by news outlet Axios and Bank of America.

The South Carolina Republican answered questions covering topics ranging from crime to drugs to racism.

A recent report on crime revealed a decrease in major cities.

“I take this issue very seriously,” Scott said. “ You cannot demonize and demoralize the police and expect something good to happen in the communities.”

On America’s ongoing battle against fentanyl and other street drugs Scott said, “The numbers and the figures that we’re talking about aren’t just statistics. It’s human lives that we’re talking about.”

The two-term Senator danced around a query about the possibility of a six-week national ban on abortion with his stock response: “I believe life has intrinsic value … I have a 100% pro-life voting record.”

Some political experts have suggested Scott’s presidential bid is essentially an effort to position himself for inclusion on the Republican ticket as the Vice-Presidential nominee.

Dr. Ray Winbush said, “I think that’s true. I think that he’s looking to be Vice-President, but what I’m hearing is that he’s not looking to be Vice-President for Trump but Vice-President for DeSantis.”

While he sidestepped questions about former President Donald Trump who has also announced his 2024 presidential bid, Scott admitted “people are fascinated by President Trump.”  

The only African American to serve in both chambers of Congress, Scott said, “To suggest [I’m running for Vice-President] says I’ve already lost the race. I plan to be the nominee, and I will consider a number of people to be my Vice-Presidential running mate. I’ve got three or four in my mind.”

Scott on Race

In 2018 and 2019 Scott partnered with then-Senator Kamala Harris and Senator Cory Booker on anti-lynching legislation.

When President Biden signed the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act in 2022, Scott said, “I’m proud to have played a part in passing this historic bill and making clear that we should never tolerate violence and hatred spread by those with evil in their hearts.”

Yet, Scott – who is African American – does not think America is a racist country.

“I do not believe we are systemically racist,” Scott explained. “I believe that racism is embedded in the hearts of individuals and that this country has fought tooth and nail to uproot it.”

Winbush, a noted author and director of the Institute of Urban Research at Morgan State University said, “I think white neo-liberals and white conservatives pick candidates with the white gaze in mind. They’ve got to pick somebody [while thinking], ‘Will white people accept this person?’ We expect Black elected officials to be transformational. We expect them to change a system that hasn’t worked 100%. So you get a candidate like Tim Scott who says, ‘I don’t believe America is racist.’ And then they will qualify it with something like, ‘I think there are racist people, but America isn’t.’ That’s what white people want to hear, but Black people know it’s not true, and it puts him under suspicion that he really doesn’t want to represent us.”

Scott identifies as a moderate Republican who also resonates with evangelicals means he “checks a lot of boxes” for the electorate.

As the only Black Republican in the race,  white Republicans and conservative Black voters may find him appealing.

He is also the sole bachelor campaigning for the White House.

After sharing that he promised to provide for his mother until she retired from her job as a nurse’s aide (which she did yesterday after 50 years), he defended his decision to remain single.

“Half of America’s adult population is single now,” he emphasized. “It sounds like we’re living in 1963 and not 2023. I probably have more time, more energy and more latitude to do the job. I am so thankful to be who I am and where I am.”

Citing America’s longstanding stereotypes of Black men and women, Winbush said, “I think that psychologically you don’t want a Black candidate who exudes any type of unbridled sexuality, and he captures that.”

He continued, “I don’t think he has a snowball’s chance of winning the nomination. I do think he has an ice cube’s chance of winning the Vice-Presidential nomination.”