South Carolina senator Tim Scott announced yesterday that he is dropping out of the 2024 Republican presidential campaign.
“When I go back to Iowa, it will not be as a presidential candidate. I am suspending my campaign,” Scott said on former GOP Rep. Trey Gowdy’s Fox News program. “I think the voters, who are the most remarkable people on the planet, have been really clear that they’re telling me: not now,” Scott continued.
The announcement was reportedly a surprise to Scott’s donors and members of his team, who found out about the decision to pull out of the race during his interview.
Tim Scott has dropped out of the race for President, just days after introducing his new girlfriend. pic.twitter.com/9WIAPGwQVS
— Keith Boykin (@keithboykin) November 13, 2023
Scott’s campaign was plagued by criticism of his single status. Scott, 50, is unmarried and has no children, which in 2023 should not be such a stigma, but it proved to be an uphill climb for the senator. Just last week, Scott showed off his girlfriend, Mindy Noce. Noce, 47, an interior designer for a real estate company in Charleston, South Carolina, but it appeared to be too little too late to quiet the whispers.
When asked which GOP candidate he would be throwing his support behind, Scott made it clear that he is not in a rush to endorse any of his former rivals.
“The voters are really smart,” Scott said. “The best way for me to be helpful is to not weigh in on who they should endorse.”
South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott tells @LinseyDavis he and his girlfriend Mindy "both love the Lord and have a healthy respect for one another." pic.twitter.com/nP3kNVWET1
— ABC News Live (@ABCNewsLive) November 9, 2023
Scott says he has no interest in becoming the next vice president.
“I ran for president to be president,” he said. “I think I was called to run. I was not called to win, but I certainly was called to run. … Being vice president has never been on my to-do list for this campaign, and it’s certainly not there now.”
