U.S. Senator from South Carolina Tim Scott suspended his Presidential campaign in a surprise announcement Sunday night.
“I’m looking forward to getting back on the campaign trail without question. But when I go back to Iowa, it will not be as a presidential candidate. I am suspending my campaign,” Scott told Fox News host Trey Gowdy during a live interview.
“I think the voters, who are the most remarkable people on the planet, have been really clear that they’re telling me: not now.
I don’t think they’re saying ‘no’, but I do think they’re saying: ‘Not now’.”
The announcement reportedly caught his campaign and donors off guard, with multiple outlets reporting that Scott’s staffers were unaware that he planned to suspend his bid for the White House.
The Scott campaign had even sent a fundraising email just hours before the Senator’s appearance on the network, telling voters, “We want to give you ONE LAST CHANCE to donate this weekend and help Tim reach his campaign goal. Can you chip in to help Tim win?”
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Tonight, I suspended my campaign for president.
Traveling this country and meeting all of you has been one of the most fantastic experiences of my entire life.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you.
God Bless the United States of America. pic.twitter.com/yniJWQMW1N
— Tim Scott (@votetimscott) November 13, 2023
Scott advised that voters weigh their options carefully but stopped short of offering an endorsement.
“I’m going to recommend that the voters study each candidate and their candidacies and frankly their past and make the best decision for the future of their country… [but] the best way for me to be helpful is to not weigh in,”
Asked if he would consider joining the eventual nominee’s ticket as a running mate, Scott told Gowdy that “being vice president has never been on my to-do list,”
The surprise announcement comes just two months before the Iowa caucuses and the GOP’s primary voting begins.
“We all know life is hard and getting harder in Joe Biden’s America,” Scott’s team said in their Sunday fundraising email. “Like you, we want our families to live safe, prosperous, happy lives and follow the Judeo-Christian values that built our society,”
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Tim Scott is a strong conservative with bold ideas about how to get our country back on track. I respect his courage to run this campaign and thank him for his service to America and the U.S. Senate.
I look forward to Tim continuing to be a leader in our party for years to come.
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) November 13, 2023
After it was revealed that Scott would suspend his campaign, the South Carolina Republican’s fellow primary contenders offered encouragement. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis called Scott a “strong conservative” and thanked him for his service to the country,
“Tim Scott is a strong conservative with bold ideas about how to get our country back on track. I respect his courage to run this campaign and thank him for his service to America and the U.S. Senate,” DeSantis said on the social media platform X. “I look forward to Tim continuing to be a leader in our party for years to come.”
Political newcomer Vivek Ramaswamy also wished Scott “all the best” while taking a jab at fellow South Carolinian and Presidential candidate Nikki Haley,
“I gave @SenatorTimScott a congratulatory [fist bump] on stage when the other South Carolinian shamelessly copied *exactly* what he said,” Ramaswamy posted on X. “Wishing Tim all the best back in the U.S. Senate.”
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