Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) will step into the Republican presidential primary next week with a $5.5 million ad buy in Iowa and New Hampshire while officially kicking off his campaign Monday.
A senior official on his campaign told Fox News that the 57-year-old senator plans to run the TV and radio ads in both states until the first GOP presidential debate, as well as a separate seven-figure digital ad campaign.
The ad buy would be the biggest yet in the race for the Republican nomination.
Scott is also poised to enter the contest next week with $22 million cash on hand — the highest among a presidential candidate has ever had for a campaign launch, according to the Federal Election Commission.
The Republican is set to face off against other GOPers such as former President Donald Trump and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in his quest for the nomination, as both have already entered the race.
His launch also will coincide with an expected campaign announcement from Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — who has been second only to Trump in the polls.
Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, conservative radio host Larry Elder and businessmen Ryan Binkley and Perry Johnson have also entered the race.
Former Vice President Mike Pence also has yet to announce an expected presidential bid.
Scott set up an exploratory committee last month and made a video announcement filmed at Fort Sumter, SC, where the first shots of the Civil War rang out.
As the only black Republican in the Senate, Scott blamed President Biden and Democrats for seeking to divide the nation over such issues as race.
“Joe Biden and the radical left have chosen a culture of grievance over greatness,” he said in the video.
“They’re promoting victimhood instead of personal responsibility. And they’re indoctrinating our children to believe we live in an evil country.
“And all too often, when they get called out for their failures, they weaponize race to divide us, to hold on to their power.”
On Monday, Scott will make a “major announcement” from the halls of his alma mater, Charleston Southern University in North Charleston.
He has already been holding campaign-like events in Iowa and New Hampshire, as well as his home state.
“I see that America is starving for positive, optimistic leadership,” the GOPer said to CBS News this spring.
“I want to provide that alternative not to any specific candidate, but for the American people,” Scott said. “The difference between me and others, I believe, is that my focus is on the fact that I used to be a kid who didn’t see a future. I used to be a kid that was angry about the cards that I was dealt. I was blessed by a mother who never surrendered. I was blessed by a mentor who always loved and supported my ideal self. And it’s because of those two individuals that I now have greater faith in the future for others.”
-With AP
