Republican Sen. Tim Scott Announces Run for President

What's the story?

• Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) announced Monday that he is running for president in 2024. 
• In a roughly 40-minute speech, Scott highlighted his background, his family, and the American Dream, and took stabs at the political left. He claimed "I am America" while criticizing the "liberal lie that our country is evil" and calling President Joe Biden "weak." He continued:

"[U]nder President Biden, our nation is retreating away from work and dignity."

• The senator was joined by Sen. John Thune (R-SC), who is number two in the Republican Senate leadership. While they did not mention the Republican frontrunner, former President Donald Trump, Thune has publicly opposed Trump and his attempt to overthrow the 2020 election. 
• A senior advisor of Scott's campaign told CBS News that the upcoming presidential cycle could be one of the most vicious yet, but Scott will carve a space out for himself and his supporters. Scott added that he is the candidate that the left should fear the most.

Who is Tim Scott?

• Scott, the first Black Republican senator from the South in over a century, has been a prominent voice in his party. He was elected to Congress in 2010 after serving on the Charleston County Council and the South Carolina House. 
• While speaking out against modern-day racism, he has argued that Democrats are wrong about the persistence of structural racism in the U.S., saying he was "living proof" that Black Americans are no longer marginalized. In February, he told Iowa:

"[W]e are indeed a land of opportunity, not a land of oppression."

• He's spoken out against Trump's comment that there were "very fine people on both sides" after the neo-Nazi rally in Virginia in 2017 and sank two of Trump's judicial nominees the following year. 
• Scott is a proponent of police reform, unlike many of his fellow party members. After the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, wrote Republicans' legislative response to the crisis, which resulted in the Justice Act — including funding de-escalation training, outlawing chokeholds, and more. 
• He's followed conservative values on many other fronts, including his strong pro-life stance and support of legislation to ban abortions after 20 weeks.

Other 2024 candidates

• The Democrats running for president in 2024 include current President Joe Biden, author Marianne Williamson who is running for the second time, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy.
• The Republican candidates include former President Donald Trump, former Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina, entrepreneur and author Vivek Ramaswamy, former Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas, talk radio host Larry Elder, and Sen. Tim Scott. 
• Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) is expected to announce his candidacy next week.

Do you support Scott's run for president?