Tim Scott heading back to U.S. Senate as bigger ambitions loom

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COLUMBIA, S.C. - U.S. Sen. Tim Scott won reelection Tuesday to what he said will be his last term serving South Carolina, but the only Black Republican in the Senate may have bigger political ambitions yet.

Scott beat Democratic state Rep. Krystle Matthews for a second full term. He was appointed to the U.S. Senate in 2013 by then Gov. Nikki Haley when Jim DeMint resigned and also won a special election.

With 88% of votes counted Wednesday, Scott had 1,055,451 votes, 63%, compared to 619,085, or 37%, for Matthews.

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Scott celebrated his win and didn’t say what the future holds, but he winked a little at it by telling the story of how he took his grandfather to the polls in 2012 and he voted for his grandson and Democrat Barack Obama — a proud ballot cast for the first Black president.

“I wish he had lived long enough to see perhaps another man of color elected president of the United States,” Scott said, pausing for a moment. “But this time let it be a Republican.”

Scott said Tuesday that his victory shows the American dream is still alive and that a Black man can rise from poverty to the top levels of the Republican party.

“For those of you that wonder if we can ever have a country where we are judged by the content of our character and not simply by the color of our skin, wonder no more,” Scott said.

Scott, 57, has spent about as much time helping other Republicans as he has campaigned in 2022. He released a memoir called “America, A Redemption Story,” where he tells his story of being raised by a single mother and his rise as a Black Republican in South Carolina.

Scott has remained coy about any plans beyond winning reelection. He has been mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in 2024 or later depending on how the field shapes up. Scott has made several trips to Iowa and other states that get an early say in the presidential nomination process.

Scott is the U.S. Senate’s only Black Republican. He is one of the Republican Party’s best fundraisers and got a primetime speech at the 2020 Republican National Convention.

“We’re happy to extend an expected congratulations to Senator Tim Scott on his reelection! His conservative message attracts voters and resonates with real people across South Carolina,” said South Carolina Republican Party Chairman Drew McKissick.

“We look forward to continuing working with Senator Scott and his mission of bringing more people into our Party and advancing our conservative platform,” McKissick said.

National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Rick Scott said:

“From one Scott to another, congratulations Tim! Tonight the people of South Carolina sent him back to Washington on their behalf in a resounding fashion. Tim Scott is one of the most optimistic people in a city often overrun with pessimism. I am honored to work alongside him and thankful to the people of South Carolina that I get to do so for another six years so that we can tackle inflation, crime, and our border crisis head-on.”

Matthews’ campaign has struggled. Much of the attention has been on a series of conversations that were recorded without Matthews’ knowledge and released by Project Veritas, a group calling itself a media organization though it relies on tactics — including sting operations — that are not widely accepted media practices.

In the recordings, which Matthews has acknowledged, the Black Democrat said she keeps white voters “under my thumbs” and suggested she should fund her campaign with “dope boy money,” which she said was a joke.

Several Democrats, including South Carolina gubernatorial candidate Joe Cunningham, condemned Matthews.

Matthews also is running for a third term in the South Carolina House, but Republican-dominated redistricting put more likely GOP voters into her district in Berkeley and Charleston counties.