Tim Scott heading to New Hampshire ahead of 2024 announcement
Emily Jacobs
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Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) announced plans Thursday to travel to New Hampshire on Monday as he likely prepares to launch his 2024 presidential bid later this month.
Scott has been traveling across Iowa, New Hampshire, and his native South Carolina since February as he mulled a presidential bid. He launched a presidential exploratory committee in early April and had been vocal about the positive response he’d received from voters. Scott is widely expected to announce his 2024 ambitions at an event in his hometown of North Charleston, South Carolina, on May 22, though not before making at least one more early primary state visit.
TIM SCOTT SETS MAY 22 ANNOUNCEMENT FOR 2024 PRESIDENTIAL BID
“I am excited to be back in New Hampshire to listen to the concerns and hopes of Granite Staters and to share my optimistic and conservative vision for the country,” Scott said in a statement on his latest travels. “Together, we can protect our country, restore hope, and create more opportunities for Americans.”
By making it official, Scott will enter a field that continues to be dominated by former President Donald Trump. Scott is far from the only member of the Senate with presidential ambitions, though many members on both sides of the aisle opted not to run this cycle as Trump and President Joe Biden maintain steady leads with their respective primary electorates. Nevertheless, Scott is not entering a two-man race against the former president.
Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) has yet to declare his candidacy but is expected to launch an exploratory committee in the coming months. Despite being beset by plummeting poll numbers since Trump’s Manhattan indictment in late March, DeSantis has maintained his status as the former president’s top competitor.
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Former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC), who appointed Scott to his Senate seat in 2012 after he won a competitive 2010 congressional contest, is also in the race. She launched her bid in February, as Scott’s early primary state travel itinerary was prompting speculation of his own 2024 plans. Scott and Haley are political allies who have thus far avoided trading insults in the 2024 contest.
Other declared candidates include former Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R-AR), biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and conservative talk radio host Larry Elder.