Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) unexpectedly announced Sunday night that he was suspending his 2024 presidential campaign, as polls showed him failing to gain traction in a race dominated by former President Donald Trump.
“When I go back to Iowa, it will not be as a presidential candidate,” Scott told his fellow South Carolinian, former Rep. Trey Gowdy, on Fox News’ “Sunday Night in America.”
“I am suspending my campaign,” Scott added. “I think the voters, who are the most remarkable people on the planet, have been really clear — they’re telling me, ‘Not now, Tim.’”
Scott announced he was suspending his campaign five days after the third Republican primary debate in Miami, in which he failed to stand out on the five-person stage.
In fact, the highlight of Scott’s debate was the first public appearance of his girlfriend, Mindy Noce.
Scott wasn’t even the most popular South Carolinian in the race, with that distinction going to former Palmetto State Gov. Nikki Haley.
Scott had campaigned on an optimistic message about his life story belying liberal tropes of American oppression, but surveys indicated little appetite for that among Republican voters.
A benchmark Iowa poll published late last month showed Scott getting just 7% support, nine percentage points behind Haley and Ron DeSantis, and a whopping 36 percentage points behind Trump.
“I’m gonna respect the voters, and I’m gonna hold on and keep working really hard and look forward to another opportunity,” Scott told Gowdy.