From Politico's Playbook morning newsletter:
Scott talks with an Iowa resident during a GOP reception in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, June 9, 2022. | Charlie Neibergall/AP Photo
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| MR. OPTIMISM HEADS TO IOWA — Sen. Scott has never been overly ambitious.
Over his dozen years in Congress, the representative-turned-senator has often avoided the spotlight, shunning the bombast and bluster that many White House hopefuls embrace as they consider presidential runs. Instead, he’s known for his affability and easy smile.
That makes him an outlier in the 2024 field. And it could be his greatest asset — if Republican voters are willing to try something different.
As the South Carolinian takes the first steps of a potential presidential run, we called up one of his closest confidants — whom we granted anonymity to speak freely — hoping to answer a simple question: Does Tim Scott really want to be commander-in-chief? If so, since when, and why?
The confidant told us that Scott hasn’t harbored long-term ambitions of working in the Oval Office. But he’s been repulsed by the downward spiral of bullying and bomb-throwing that has become the hallmark of politics of late, and feels motivated to do something about it.
He’s never been a fan of DONALD TRUMP’s name-calling. He loathes the suggestion by some on the left that the nation is “racist.” In recent days, he’s cringed at Rep. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE’s (R-Ga.) call for the U.S. to be split into two nations of red and blue states, as well as her suggestion that former South Carolina Gov. NIKKI HALEY is simply a “ Bush in heels.” Above all, he pines for a time when Americans could disagree about politics and still be cordial.
Therein lies one of Scott’s reasons for exploring a 2024 run: A belief that perhaps other Americans are similarly disgusted with the tenor of today’s politics, and want a candidate who will restore civility.
“He really does think that the country is disunified in ways that it doesn't have to be,” said the confidant. “Now, there are plenty of areas where … there [are] going to be contrasts — no question about it. He just thinks there is a way to communicate — even with people that are never going to vote for you — and do it in a winsome way.”
That alone could be enough to draw a contrast between Scott and the other GOP 2024 hopefuls — especially Trump, who has repeatedly shown a willingness to savage his opponents with schoolyard insults and gutter tactics.
“You’re not going to get a tweet from Tim Scott taking a shot at MIKE POMPEO. You’re never going to get it,” the confidant told us. “He’s not going to become something he is not.”
But is that what Republican primary voters want? As NYT’s Jonathan Weisman recently wrote, it’s an open question “whether Republican voters who embraced Donald J. Trump’s brand of us-versus-them divisiveness are ready for the themes that Mr. Scott is selling.” His reputation as a gentleman, Weisman continues, “could prove to be a liability in today’s Republican primary environment, where … activists may be more interested in anger than optimism.”
Scott also stands out for a policy reason: At a time when Republicans cheer for law-and-order politics, Scott, the highest ranking Black Republican in the nation, has worked hard on criminal justice reform and policing issues. And as some in the party, like Florida Gov. RON DeSANTIS, take aim at AP Black history courses and how racism is taught in schools, Scott doesn’t shy away from the racial violence that runs through American history: He personally shepherded a bill to make lynching a hate crime.
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| IN SCOTT’S FAVOR — Scott’s cheerleaders think he has a compelling case to make to primary voters, and tout the following as assets should he run:
1) His life story and record. Raised by a single mom, Scott overcame poverty to become a successful businessman before being elected to the House and becoming the first Black senator from the South since Reconstruction. A deeply religious man who once entertained going into seminary, he helped craft the GOP’s 2017 tax cut bill, tucking into the package a provision providing tax credits for businesses that invest in poor areas.
2) A ready-made political infrastructure. Scott already has $22 million in his federal campaign account and two big names — former Sen. CORY GARDNER (R-Colo.) and former NRSC hand ROB COLLINS — co-chairing his super PAC.
3) Experience no other Republican contender has. As a senator who’s opened up on the Senate floor about being racially profiled, has faced threats by white supremacists, and once had to privately school Trump on discrimination following racist comments, Scott is in a unique position to push back on what the right derides as “woke” culture.
He’s shown that he won’t tolerate racism, sinking not one, but two of Trump’s judicial appointees for past discriminatory actions. But he’s also clapped back at the left, saying last week at a Black History month dinner that “[w]e have made tremendous progress, and it’s time that we, as a people, celebrate the progress we are making.”
To hear Scott’s allies tell it, his ability to be a happy warrior is one of his greatest strengths.
“To me, Tim really is RONALD REAGAN: ‘Morning in America,’” Sen. JOHN BARRASSO (R-Wyo.) told Playbook. “He tries to bring people together. He has a hopeful vision for our country.”
Of course, time will tell whether Republican voters want a “Morning in America” message, or whether they’ll again embrace another slogan Reagan popularized: “Make America Great Again
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