Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) plans to launch a presidential exploratory committee on Wednesday, according to two people familiar with his plans, marking a big step toward officially entering 2024 White House race.
Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, has spent recent months laying the groundwork for a national campaign via early state travel and donor events. The exploratory committee will allow Scott’s team to ramp up fundraising and fund travel before he officially declares a bid.
The people describing Scott’s plans spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe a decision that had not yet been announced publicly. The Post and Courier newspaper in Charleston, S.C., first reported the news.
Scott is scheduled to be in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Wednesday, a key early state where he will participate in a roundtable discussion with Rep. Ashley Hinson (R-Iowa) and address a women’s group dinner. On Thursday, he will visit New Hampshire, before returning to South Carolina for an event with voters on Friday.
Scott has teased an upcoming campaign announcement. On Friday and Saturday, he will hold a Faith in America Summit in Charleston. According to a copy of the invitation for the event obtained by The Washington Post, Saturday’s programing will include a “political update.” In an email to supporters Tuesday night, Scott wrote “I’ve decided to make a major announcement tomorrow.”
If successful in an eventual White House bid, Scott would be the first Black Republican president, and only the second Black president in history.
Should he officially enter the race, he would be the first senator to jump in, joining a field that includes former president Donald Trump; former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, another South Carolinian who originally appointed him to the Senate; and tech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy. Former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson has said he will officially launch a presidential bid later this month.
