(RepublicanReport.org) – Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) has officially ended his bid for the 2024 GOP presidential ticket. The South Carolina lawmaker struggled throughout his campaign to gain traction despite hefty promotional spending, so he decided to suspend his run. Six remaining candidates now continue to oppose former President Donald Trump, but all of them are still longshots compared to the MAGA leader.
Scott made his surprise announcement on November 12 during an interview with Trey Gowdy on Fox News’ “Sunday Night in America.” He shared that he understood voters didn’t believe the timing was right for him to run this time around. As a growing name among the GOP, the conservative senator had high hopes going into the race in May, but his absence in the public spotlight in the months that followed kept him from gaining any real ground.
Scott slipped increasingly further behind his fellow contenders, leaving Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley fighting over the little Republican support that hadn’t already pledged to vote for Trump. He barely qualified to participate in the third debate, which requires candidates to meet a minimum of campaign donations, and he likely would have had an uphill battle against him in his attempt to meet the minimum for the GOP’s next upcoming debate.
As of November 14, Trump was leading in the GOP primary with 58.6% of his party’s support according to a FiveThirtyEight poll. DeSantis is in second with 14.1%, and Haley clings to third with 9%. Al Jazeera reports that Scott only had 2.5% of Republicans’ vote when he decided to end his 2024 campaign.
Scott noted that he wasn’t interested in jumping onto anyone else’s ticket as a vice-presidential candidate, stating that he’d never aspired for that role. He also refused to endorse anyone, insisting that voters do their homework and decide who would be the best person to lead the country moving forward.
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