The race is over for Tim Scott and the other fourth-place candidates
Zachary Faria
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It was clear during the last GOP presidential debate that Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) was running on fumes and trying to spur some kind of momentum as his campaign continued to slip. Now, he’s putting all his chips in Iowa as the wheels begin to fall off his campaign.
Scott’s campaign is shifting ad buys and campaign staff to Iowa and is “all in” on the Hawkeye State, according to his campaign manager. The reality, though, is that Scott’s campaign is fading. His super PAC canceled all fall media expenditures, choosing not to “waste our money” on a $40 million ad reservation “when the electorate isn’t focused or ready for a Trump alternative.”
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The polling has been similarly bleak. Scott sits sixth in the RealClearPolitics polling average in New Hampshire and fourth in his home state of South Carolina, with his last two polls in the latter state showing his support still in the single digits. In Iowa, where he is now focusing his entire campaign, Scott is tied with Vivek Ramaswamy in fourth place at just 6%.
The reality is that Scott’s moment, such that it existed, has passed. In August, he was the clear third candidate in Iowa, hovering around 10%, but former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley has taken the wind out of his sails both there and in South Carolina. With Trump’s large polling lead and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) being the leading alternative, Scott is effectively losing the race to be the alternative to the alternative to Trump.
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Unlike the charlatan Ramaswamy or liberal media sellout Chris Christie, Scott’s campaign was worth consideration. He should without a doubt continue to have an important role in shaping the future of the Republican Party. But it is clear that his campaign has run its course. DeSantis and Haley are the only real Trump alternatives who have a pulse. Scott and the rest of the field should step aside and give them the opportunity to take the mantle for themselves. For the candidates who aren’t in the top three, this race is over.