Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, a Republican, has announced plans to seek reelection in 2028, according to his campaign’s statement to POLITICO on Wednesday. This decision marks a change from his earlier commitment to serve only two full terms in the Senate.
Scott was initially appointed by Nikki Haley, then the Governor of South Carolina, in 2012 to complete the remaining two years of Senator Jim DeMint’s term. Scott had previously indicated that 2022 would be his last campaign for the Senate.
In the 2022 elections, Scott secured an easy victory over Democratic state legislator Krystle Matthews, winning by a margin exceeding 25 percentage points. He later launched a presidential campaign but withdrew before the Iowa caucuses began.
Scott was briefly considered as a potential running mate for then-President Donald Trump and has since become a significant ally to the White House within the Senate.
“And I’ll say without any question that as I think about my own reelection in 2028, I think about all the lessons I’ve learned on the campaign trail for all these other candidates, and frankly, even in South Carolina,” Scott told the Charleston, South Carolina-based Post and Courier, which first reported on his reelection intentions.
.
