The Independent's journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission.Ā
Tim Scott brought a whole new level of drama to the GOP campaign
Tim Scott may not have been a frontrunner - but he has paved the way for Donald Trump


South Carolina Senator Tim Scott dramatically announced his exit from the Republican presidential primary last night. Scott made the announcement on former congressman Trey Gowdyās show, apparently without even telling his campaign staff.
Gowdy, a longtime Scott friend and ally, was visibly surprised, and even argued with Scott, saying that he should stay in the race. āYou have plenty of money,ā he protested. āYou have the highest approval numbers of any candidate.ā
Scottās high favorability ratings have fallen recently, which might explain why he exited. Heās also failed to gain ground in head-to-head polls, where heās been at two percent or so, well behind Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley. And of course heās far behind former President Donald Trump, who leads the field by 56 points.
Still, Gowdyās distress is understandable. Scott had real strengths, and when he entered the race in May, he could reasonably argue he had as path to the presidency. His failure is less a referendum on his failures than it is a referendum on the failures of the Republican party in generalāa party that, despite the former presidentās obvious unsuitability for office and his escalating disqualifying legal troubles, appears to want to bathe in essence of Trump and in nothing but essence of Trump for all eternity.
Scottās positive features are, as youād expect, largely invisible to progressives and Democrats. The general consensus among is that Scott never had a chance and ran an embarrassing campaign.
Democratic skepticism isnāt surprising; Scott is extremely conservative. Heās backed a cruel, draconian 20-week federal abortion ban. Heās made rabid attacks on the left, comparing progressives to the Confederacy. Heās claimed (contrary to evidence and logic) that President Joe Biden is complicit in the deadly Hamas terrorist attacks against Israel on October 7. Though Scottās been lauded for his upbeat demeanor and optimistic approach, he reserves those for Republicans. To Democrats he offers little except partisan bile and Christofascist boilerplate, as he boasts of plans to restrict the rights of women and LGBT+ people.
Thatās par for the course with the radicalized GOP these days, though, where some 77 percent of Republians identify as conservative. Scott has extreme views; the Republican party wants extreme views. Thatās an argument for his campaign, not against it. Moreover, Scott has fairly conventional qualifications for the presidency. He was elected to the Senate in 2013 and again in 2020; thatās a typial resume for someone seeking the countryās highest office.
Scott also has a compelling personal story. He was raised by a single mother and his grandparents, and grew up teetering on the edge of poverty. He worked hard as an insurance salesman, eventually making enough to buy his mother a house and launch his political career. He uses his own success to argue that racism is no longer a barrier in the US.
This kind of rags to riches story is catnip for (mostly white) Republican voters, who have consistently been willing to cast ballots for Black conservatives. Scottās message is similar to that of Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas, whose favorability with Republicans is a sky-high 67 percent.
Certainly Scottās story of personal struggle is more appealing than that of real-estate heir Donald Trump, currently on trial for financial fraud in New York. Scottās commitment to white evangelical voters and evangelical policies also seems a lot more sincere than Trumpās; the former president has waffled on abortion restrictions, even as Scott has doubled down. With Trump facing a barrage of federal and state charges and lawsuits (heās already been held liable for sexual abuse), it seemed reasonable for other candidates like Scott to think he might lose his grip on his base.
Some six months after Scott entered the race, though, itās clear though that thatās not going to happen. Trump isnāt losing support. On the contrary, according to political scientist Seth Masket, who has been surveying Republican county chair, Trump is consolidating his lead. Early signs that he might lose traction among evangelicals never materialized ā which is why candidates of the Christian right, like former Vice-President Mike Pence and now Tim Scott, are exiting.
When a candidate loses, itās natural to assume that theyāre a loser. Tim Scottās bid is over, and that makes it tempting in retrospect to argue that it was really over before it began, that he never had a chance, and that he was a fool for trying.
But if we see Scottās defeat as inevitable, we also see Trumpās victory as inevitable ā and I think thatās too flattering to Trump, and too kind to the party of which heās a part. The GOP has had many chances to get rid of Trump as heās revealed ever more layers of sweaty orange corruption and irresponsibility. They have other very conservative alternatives. They could have Tim Scott, who embraces bigotry and spews nonsense partisan talking points, but who didnāt actively lead an insurrection, isnāt on trial for fraud, and hasnāt been held liable for sexual assault.
It is not a foregone conclusion that Republicans will always choose the worst of all bad options. They could choose differently. But, once again, they didnāt. Republican voters and party actors seem determined to keep choosing Trump until their party self-destructs or the country does. Tim Scott would be a bad president. But heās dropped out of the race because Republican voters have declared, once again, that only one man is would be a bad enough president for them.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments