Tim Scott is a unique figure within the Republican party, having never been paralleled in the party’s history. Born into a family of enslaved ancestry, Scott is the second son of a single mother and is himself a bachelor. Despite experiencing racism on multiple fronts – in stores, on roads, online, and even in the U.S. Capitol – Scott remains a staunch believer that America is not a racist country and doesn’t see himself as a victim. This message serves as the foundation for his presidential campaign, which is considered a compelling but likely longshot​​.

Scott has joined the ranks of fellow South Carolinian Nikki Haley, outsider entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and soon-to-be-official-candidate Ron DeSantis in challenging former president Donald Trump for the GOP nomination. As the only Black Republican in the U.S. Senate and the only Black person to ever serve in both chambers of Congress, Scott brings a unique perspective to the Republican party and the presidential race. He strongly believes in the American dream and has often stated, “Only in America can my story play out the way it has”​​.

Scott was born in North Charleston, South Carolina, on Sept. 19, 1965, some 150 years after his enslaved ancestors were forced to migrate to the same state. His father was a Vietnam vet in the Air Force, and his mother, a nurse, often worked double shifts. After his parents divorced, Scott moved into his grandparents’ small house, where he shared a room and a bed with his mother and older brother. His grandfather, an illiterate daily newspaper reader, left school in the third grade to pick cotton. Scott credits his grandfather, as well as a white man named John Moniz who was a mentor to him, for teaching him life lessons and inspiring him to think his way out of poverty. From a young age, Scott dreamt of becoming the president, whispering “President Tim Scott” to himself at night, and was elected student body president in his senior year​​.