Republican Tim Scott announced Sunday evening that he was suspending his presidential campaign.
Scott made the announcement on Fox News’ “Sunday Night in America with Trey Gowdy.”
“When I return to Iowa, it will not be as a presidential candidate. I am suspending my campaign. I think the voters, who are the most remarkable people on the planet, have made it very clear: They say, ‘Not now, Tim,'” Scott said.
Scott’s campaign canceled his entire trip to Iowa this weekend because of the flu, but they appeared to remain positive about his pursuit of the GOP presidential nomination. Earlier Sunday, the campaign confirmed to ABC News that Scott would attend Bob Vander Plaats’ Heads of Household Thanksgiving forum later in the week.
Scott began the interview with Gowdy on Sunday night, telling the host that he was feeling better after “drinking a lot of water” in recent days.
“But I couldn’t wait to get back on the campaign trail, no questions asked,” he said, adding, “I love America more today than I did on May 22,” before making the announcement.
Scott added that he currently respects the voters’ decision.
“And I’m going to hold on and continue to work really hard and look forward to another opportunity,” he added.
Scott began his campaign May 22 at his alma mater, Charleston Southern University in South Carolina, with nearly $22 million remaining from his Senate campaign and the support of Senators Mike Rounds and John Thune. He launched the campaign with what he called an “optimistic message.”
Raised in poverty in North Charleston, South Carolina, Scott, the only black Republican in the Senate, often talked about how his grandfather picked cotton to survive. “From cotton to Congress,” is what he called his rise through politics. He would eventually become a senator after spending two years in the House of Representatives before being appointed to the Senate by current Republican Party presidential candidate and former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley. Scott said he believed his story disproved “the lies of the radical left.”
During his presidential campaign, Scott attracted big donors over the summer during a six-state fundraising campaign, which culminated with his super PAC, Trust in the Mission, announcing an impressive purchase of $40 million ad for fall.
But during the first debate in Milwaukee, Scott ultimately missed his moment – often taking a back seat without being able to pass a word between the other candidates. He failed to stand out and voters noticed.
Maybe it was the beginning of the end for Scott’s campaign. Questions began to arise from political pundits and voters about whether or not he was “too nice” to become president.
As a result, Scott began working on his image. He went after former President Donald Trump, Governor DeSantis and Haley for their positions on abortion. But he still failed to gain ground. Scott began to fall even further in national polls averaging 538 in September.
Scott managed to improve his debate performance somewhat, but it wasn’t enough. On October 7, after Hamas’s attack on Israel, his campaign struggled to make headlines. Although he had the strongest language against the attack among his fellow candidates, Scott’s message went unheard. His poll numbers began to hover below 2%.
His super PAC announced it was pulling its fall ad buys on Oct. 16, and his campaign announced it was pulling all of its resources from South Carolina and New Hampshire to go “all in” on the campaign. Iowa.
“No candidate other than Tim Scott has the resources, base of support and message to succeed in the Hawkeye State. We all view Iowa as an important first step on the path to the nomination,” he said. said campaign manager Jennifer. DeCasper previously said in a statement.
They began doubling their staff and rented a new office in West Des Moines, Iowa. But the momentum never came. Their campaign was plagued by rumors that they would not participate in the third debate. They had sent a letter to the Republican National Committee asking the organization’s leaders to change how they determine who takes center stage and what qualifications are considered to participate in the third debate.
“Given the emphasis on excluded states, polling data from these states more accurately reflects how candidates resonate with voters compared to national polls. Therefore, Republican debates should more fairly reward and represent the state’s early efforts,” DeCasper wrote.
Although Scott polled in the single digits nationally, at the time he was in third place in Iowa and South Carolina.
The young senator barely made it into the debate in Miami, and although Scott managed to get the most speaking time, he made no further inroads with voters. According to 538, Scott had the third worst performance of the evening. His most memorable moment was introducing his much-talked about girlfriend, Mindy Noce.
Despite barely making it to the third debate, Scott’s path to the fourth in Alabama seemed highly improbable. He needed to be at 6% to reach the RNC vote threshold.
But at first, the campaign plodded on — announcing a series of six events in Iowa as part of its plan to visit the state every week until the January caucus. The only event he could attend, however, was a dinner with the Real Estate Developers Association in Des Moines, where only four attendees asked the South Carolina senator questions.
His campaign would end up canceling the full course of events just two hours before the premiere was set to begin. It should be noted that the first event, a meet-and-greet at the Pizza Ranch in Carroll, Iowa, was two hours from Des Moines, where most of the reporters were coming from, forcing them to make the two-hour drive without notice . cancelation. It was a telltale sign of the end.
Scott remained silent over the weekend, but finally, in a surprise Sunday night, Fox News host Trey Gowdy suspended his campaign. Scott’s inability to find and seize his moment ultimately ended what had started as a money-filled, optimism-filled campaign.
Ironically, just eight minutes before his appearance on Gowdy, Scott’s campaign sent out a fundraising email with the subject line “One Last Chance.”
Scott did not indicate who he would support. He said he would not seek another term in the Senate. Scott also told Gowdy that he had no intention of becoming anyone’s vice president. However, he did not rule out running when he had “another opportunity”.
“I believe I could have taken this country to new heights with great unity on conservative principles. Optimism comes from toughness,” he said. “I think I was called to race. I wasn’t called to win.”