November 15th 2023.
Black Republicans are disappointed by Sen. Tim Scott's failed presidential run, according to a recently released report by Politico. Black conservatives had expected his campaign to shine a light on the diversity of the GOP, but it instead focused on Scott's status as the only Black Republican Senator and how he was unfairly characterized by the left.
Deanna Bass Williams, who worked on Ben Carson's 2016 presidential campaign, wanted to see more discussion from Scott about being a Black Republican. She told Politico, “He did not lean into being a Black man. I always see the need to aggressively engage Black audiences, period.”
Despite the overall sentiment from Black Republicans about his use of race, he had one shining moment during a debate with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis about state curricula that taught that enslaved people were taught useful skills. Scott firmly replied, “There is not a redeeming quality in slavery. America has suffered because of slavery, but we’ve overcome that.”
Scott's lack of engagement on the issue of race, however, left many to wonder privately what could have been had he leaned into it more throughout his campaign. Furthermore, his candidacy never managed to capture more than 5% of the vote, far behind recent runs from other Black Republicans such as Herman Cain and Carson.
Veteran Republican strategist Elroy Sailor did point out one positive from Scott’s campaign. “Their campaigns were more celebrity driven. Tim Scott’s campaign is not celebrity driven. I think he has proven that you can raise money. That is an early criticism that there used to be about African American Republicans that we didn’t have the ability to raise money. So I think he’s crossed that Rubicon.”
Scott himself seemed to accept that his moment had passed, as he revealed in an interview with long-time friend Trey Gowdy on Fox News. He said he would not endorse a candidate and brushed off any vice president suggestions. “The voters … they’re telling me, ‘not now, Tim.’ I don’t think they’re saying, Trey, ‘no,’ but I do they’re saying, ‘not now.’”
Ultimately, Scott's campaign was a disappointment for Black Republicans, and his shining moment while debating DeSantis was a reminder of what could have been had he more actively engaged in the conversation about being a Black Republican. Though his campaign was short-lived, he has shown that Black Republicans can raise money, which is a huge step forward for the party.
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