How Tim Scott went from Trump challenger to Trump champion

This is part of The Hill’s continuing series examining possible running mates for Donald Trump’s vice presidential ticket.

Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina has become a constant presence in Donald Trump’s inner circle since dropping his own presidential bid late last year.

He was campaigning for the former commander in chief in New Hampshire as Trump was trying to fend off a challenge from former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley in the primary. He praised Trump at a rally in Scott’s home state of South Carolina in February. And he has become a key surrogate for the former president on national television.

Scott is currently considered one of the front-runners to run for President Trump in November, and if the Republicans win, he would become the first black man to be nominated by the Republican Party.

“Tim Scott is a great choice,” said Brian Sejczyk, a Republican strategist and former member of the Trump campaign. “He’s absolutely qualified to be president of the United States. He’s opening the door to the black community. President Trump has a higher approval rating in the black community than he did in the last election. Senator Scott is encouraging African-American voters to look at Donald Trump with some fresh eyes.”

Republicans argue that Scott’s appeal to black voters and his generally humble origins make him a good strategic choice for Trump.

“He doesn’t come from an elite background, he’s an average American,” said Charles Coger, Scott’s former legislative director. “He knows he had a hard time growing up and that it took hard work, determination and opportunity to get to where he is today. So he really wants to make sure that everyone else has the same opportunities and education. It’s part of who he is.”

A descendant of enslaved Africans, Scott grew up in a single-parent home in North Charleston, South Carolina: his mother often worked long hours and the family moved frequently.

In his autobiography, Scott recalls the night his mother, Frances, left his father, a Vietnam Air Force veteran, when Scott was just seven years old.

“All I remember is the green shag carpet, the screaming, the sound of fists banging against the wall, and the conviction that everything bad that was happening was my fault,” Scott wrote. “I distinctly recall the feeling of a huge weight pressing down on my chest, squeezing my shoulders and making it impossible for me to breathe deeply.”

Frances moved seven-year-old Scott and his older brother Ben to live with her parents in South Carolina.

This wasn’t the last time Scott would face difficulties. He would also face difficulties in school: During his freshman year of high school, he failed four classes and even found hateful notes in his locker with racist slurs scrawled on them.

However, by his senior year, he was elected student body president. After graduating from high school, Scott attended Presbyterian College and earned a bachelor’s degree from Charleston Southern University.

In 1994, Mr. Scott began campaigning for the Charleston County Council. But when he expressed interest in Congress to the Democratic Party headquarters, “they told me to get in line,” Mr. Scott said.

There he ran as a Republican.

In 1995, Scott became the first black Republican elected to public office in South Carolina since 1902. In 2010, Scott ran for Congress, becoming the first black Republican to represent South Carolina in the House of Representatives since 1897.

When Sen. Jim DeMint retired in 2012, Ms. Haley, who was then governor of the state, appointed Mr. Scott to replace him, making him the first Black Republican senator since 1978 and the first from the post-Civil War South.

“Senator Scott’s experience and positive, solutions-oriented approach to politics could be a great boost to his campaign,” said Whitley Yates, diversity and engagement director for the Indiana Republican Party. “Known for his focus on economic opportunity, education and criminal justice reform, Scott tells a compassionate and optimistic story that will resonate with many voters.”

“His support is across a range of demographics, including Democrats, Republicans, Independents, White voters, Black/African American voters and Latino voters, suggesting that Trump could help attract a broader and more diverse base of voters,” Yates added.

Scott announced his candidacy for the White House in May of last year but dropped his campaign in November. Since then, he has worked hard for Trump’s campaign, and Trump suggested earlier this year that he might consider Scott as one of his front-runners for the vice presidential spot.

Trump has been working to win over black voters, a key voting base for Biden.

A Pew Research Center poll shows the majority of Black voters support Democrats, but 18% say they would vote for Trump if the election were held today, up from the 12% who voted for the former president in 2020.

Sejczyk warned that picking Scott wouldn’t guarantee Trump better support from black voters on Election Day, but it could prompt them to reconsider.

But with Trump yet to announce who his running mate will be, Sejczyk said the biggest question is how active and loyal the senator will be on the campaign trail.

“There are two jobs. Obviously, being an attack dog and a counterpuncher is a job, but there’s also an element of loyalty,” Sejczyk said. “I think one of the questions the Trump campaign will ask of a running mate is, is this person going to do anything differently than Mike Pence will do in January 2021? I don’t know the answer to that from Senator Scott’s perspective, but I think the answer is pretty important to the Trump campaign.”

Scott voted to certify the results of President Biden’s election just hours after rioters stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Later, during a primary debate in August, Scott said then-Vice President Mike Pence “absolutely” did the right thing that day.

But earlier this month, Scott refused to answer a question about whether he would accept the results of the November election if Biden was re-elected.

“At the end of the day, the 47th president of the United States will be President Donald Trump,” Scott said.