U.S. Sen. Tim Scott announced his launch of a presidential candidate exploratory committee for 2024 during an Iowa stop Tuesday.
The South Carolina Republican announced the committee on Fox News Wednesday, just before holding meetings in Iowa with home-schooling parents and local pastors in eastern Iowa with U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson.
In his announcement, Scott said he wants to take on Democrats and President Joe Biden’s “culture of grievance” and said he can combat the left’s use of race to divide Americans.
“When I fought back against their liberal agenda, they called me a prop, a token,” Scott said in the committee announcement video. “Because I disrupt their narrative, I threaten their control. They know the truth of my life disproves their lies.”
This is not Scott’s first trip to Iowa. He last visited in February, where he toured a Catholic school with Gov. Kim Reynolds and said he was taking the time to hear what constituents want from a presidential candidate. While he has not yet officially decided to run, launching a committee allows Scott to fundraise for a future campaign and use that money for travel and other campaign costs.
The 2024 presidential field is expected to grow in the coming weeks. Former President Donald Trump, fellow South Carolinian Nikki Haley, Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy have all announced their 2024 bids. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and others are expected to join the race.
Haley was in Des Moines on Wednesday, where she focused on transgender sports participation and LGBTQ issues.
Scott said he supports school choice, protecting the “right to life” and securing the border in his committee announcement. He also said he wants to focus more on unifying the country in a potential 2024 campaign instead of the issues that divide Americans, contrasting himself against Trump who some Republicans see as too divisive both within the party and in a general election.
“This is a fight we must win,” Scott said. “And that will take faith: faith in God, faith in each other and faith in America.”
Scott plans to travel to New Hampshire later this week before heading back to South Carolina.
This story was published earlier by the Iowa Capital Dispatch, an affiliate of the nonprofit States Newsroom network, which includes the Florida Phoenix.
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