Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) has officially entered the 2024 presidential race. Announcing at a packed live event today, Monday, May 22, Scott becomes the latest high-profile Republican to try for the GOP nomination. Interspersed with personal recollections of his youth, he said:

“Under President Biden, our country is moving away from patriotism and faith… the radical left is pushing us into a culture of grievance rather than greatness… Under President Biden, our nation is retreating away from work and dignity… This administration has taxed, borrowed, and spent trillions of dollars trying to replace a hand-up with a handout, and all they bought us was crushing inflation that has devastated families…

“The far left has us retreating away from excellence in schools; extreme liberals are letting big labor bosses trap millions of kids in failing schools. They are replacing education with indoctrination. They spent COVID, locking kids out of the classroom, and now they’re locking kids out of their futures. And in Biden’s America, crime is on the rise, and law enforcement is in retreat.

“I’m announcing today that I am running for President of the United States of America.”

Polling prior to his announcement gives the senator just under 2% compared to other Republican candidates, which could shift significantly now that he is officially in the running. But as Liberty Nation’s Senior Political Analyst Tim Donner suggests, winning the Oval Office might not be his immediate goal. He writes: “Many have speculated – and with good cause, given his slim chances of overtaking Trump – that Scott is actually positioning himself for the vice presidency. The thinking goes in some circles that a Trump-Scott ticket would quiet the shrill voices still trying to convince voters that Trump is not just a racist but an honest-to-goodness white supremacist, and would attract more independent and minority votes.”

The GOP Senate number two, John Thune (SD) endorsed Scott, making good on his comments back in March when he said, “I’m excited about it. I’ve been encouraging him. I think he’s getting a lot of encouragement from his colleagues. … I think he’d be a really interesting candidate for president in a field that, you know, kind of could be fairly open.”

With an estimated $22 million in his campaign war chest already, Scott appears to be a serious player ready to spend.