Tim Scott: People Are Voting Based on Values, Not Race

Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) argued that voters “are aligning their votes with their values and they’re voting for candidates who are simply not their own complexion” in an interview broadcast on Wednesday’s “OutFront” on CNN.

Scott talked about his experience last night becoming the first African-American elected to the US Senate since Reconstruction, saying “I’m blessed to have a grandfather that is 94 years old. He’s seen a different America growing up than I have, and here is a fella who was a youngster picking cotton and in his lifetime he’s seen his grandson get elected to Congress and now the Senate. For me, looking at him last night, watching me give a speech was one of the most remarkable experiences of my life.”

He added, “Well I think, if you look around the country and you look at some of the most successful campaigns, you talk about [Rep.] Mia Love from Utah, the first African-American female [Republican] winning in the history of Congress. You look at [Rep.] Will Hurd in Texas or the new Lieutenant Governor of Maryland, Mr. Rutherford. Here is what we see happening throughout the country, is that people are aligning their votes with their values and they’re voting for candidates who are simply not of their own complexion.”

Scott also addressed the issue of mistreatment faced by African-American Republicans, he stated “one of the challenges I do see in the future is this culture of low expectations that are driven by some folks who seem to profit from keeping some folks down and unfortunately sometimes it’s your peers. We see this today in the NFL with the comments about Russell Wilson the quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks not being black enough. What does that mean? Here is my comment and my response to that. It’s foolishness. It’s ridiculous, and it’s hogwash. At the end of the day, be natural. Be yourself, don’t try to be normal, whatever that stereotypical definition or that lame excuse for under-performing really is. Folks who question your identity your ethic identify because you don’t fit into their mold [are] simply an insult to the entire community.”

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