Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) took the next step toward a bid for president in 2024 by publicly announcing Wednesday his intention to form a White House Exploratory Committee.
Scott released a video to set out his plans.
“All too often when they get called out for their failures, they weaponize race to divide us, to hold onto their power,” he said in the video piece. “When I fought back against their liberal agenda, they called me a prop. A token. Because I disrupt their narrative. I threaten their control.”
In an earlier email to supporters, Scott teased he would be making a “major announcement” during an appearance on Fox News on Wednesday morning.
“I’ve been doing a lot of thinking the past few months,” Scott wrote. “I’ve been thinking about my faith. I’ve been thinking about the future of our country. And I’ve been thinking about the Left’s plan to ruin America.”
In the Fox interview, Scott did not attack other potential Republican rivals, saying “the field of play is focused in on President Biden’s failures.”
The exploratory committee news was first reported by the Post and Courier of Charleston.
As Breitbart News reported, Scott has been flagging the possibility of a 2024 White House tilt for some time.
WATCH — Tim Scott Responds to Joe Biden: “Hear Me Clearly, America Is Not a Racist Country”
He is expected to visit the first in the primary state New Hampshire this week as part of his Faith in America Tour.
Scott will arrive in Manchester on Thursday, April 13, and visit with locals, pastors, and Republican leaders as part of his tour, which he kicked off in Charleston back in February.
“I look forward to being back in New Hampshire as part of my Faith in America Tour,” Scott said in an emailed statement. “Granite Staters know freedom requires a renewed commitment to our founding principles and faith in the American people.”
His stop in the Granite State feeds speculation of his White House aspirations which would put him against the clear frontrunner, former President Donald Trump.
The Opportunity Matters Fund Action PAC has already put itself behind Scott in anticipation of his bid and has hired two political operatives in South Carolina — former SC Republican Party chairman Matt Moore as well as Gov. Henry McMaster’s 2022 campaign manager Mark Knoop.
According to Moore, they will both “lead a team focused on sharing Sen. Scott’s opportunity agenda and inspirational vision throughout the state.”
If he enters the field, Scott will join another South Carolinian, former Gov. Nikki Haley, as well as former President Donald Trump, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.