Scott, Tim (1965-…), became a United States senator in 2013. Scott, a Republican, represents South Carolina. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley selected Scott to replace Senator Jim DeMint, who resigned. Scott had served in the U.S. House of Representatives before his appointment to the Senate.
Timothy Eugene Scott was born on Sept. 19, 1965, in North Charleston, South Carolina. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Charleston Southern University in 1988. Scott then worked as an insurance agent and became part owner of a real estate agency.
Scott won election to the Charleston County Council in 1995. He served on the council for 13 years. Scott won election to the state House of Representatives in 2008 and to the U.S. House in 2010. As a legislator, Scott became known for his conservative positions on social and fiscal (public finance) matters. He cosponsored bills to add a balanced budget amendment to the Constitution of the United States. He strongly opposed abortion and same-sex marriage. He also focused on issues related to the U.S. military.
In December 2012, Senator DeMint announced that he would retire from the Senate the following month. Governor Haley appointed Scott to fill the Senate seat until a special election for the seat was held in 2014. Scott became the first Black Republican senator from the South since the Reconstruction period that followed the American Civil War (1861-1865). In 2014, Scott was elected to serve out the remaining two years of DeMint’s Senate term. Scott won election to a full six-year Senate term in 2016. He was reelected in 2022.
In May 2023, Scott began a campaign for his party’s 2024 nomination for president of the United States. He dropped out of the race in November 2023 while trailing his competitors in fundraising and public opinion polls.
See also DeMint, James Warren.
