Republican Sen. Tim Scott is officially running for president

Washington Desk

May 22, 2023 / 9:57 am

caption: Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., gives remarks at his presidential campaign announcement event at Charleston Southern University on Monday in North Charleston, S.C.

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott announced his run for the Republican presidential nomination Monday morning in North Charleston, S.C.

Scott made his run official with this statement from a stage at Charleston Southern University, his alma mater: "I'm announcing today I'm running for president of the United States of America."

The senator, who has represented South Carolina in the Senate since 2013, highlighted his own rise from poverty to prosperity and said that America is not a racist country. Scott is the only Black Republican senator in the U.S. Senate.

Scott is the second South Carolina Republican to enter the race for the GOP nomination. Right now, he takes on a frontrunner in former President Donald Trump. He also joins former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley. Haley originally appointed him to the Senate to fill a vacancy. South Carolina is a pivotal early voting state for both Republicans and Democrats.