Tim Scott
Timothy Eugene Scott (born September 19, 1965) is an American businessman and politician serving as the junior United States senator from South Carolina since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a Charleston city councilor, a state representative, and a U.S. Representative. He also worked in financial services before entering politics.
Tim Scott | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2013 | |
| Ranking Member of the Senate Banking Committee | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Pat Toomey |
| Ranking Member of the Senate Aging Committee | |
| In office February 3, 2021 – January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Bob Casey Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Mike Braun |
| United States Senator from South Carolina | |
| Assumed office January 2, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Jim DeMint (history) |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina's 1st district | |
| In office January 3, 2011 – January 2, 2013 | |
| Preceded by | Henry E. Brown Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Mark Sanford |
| Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from the 117th district | |
| In office January 3, 2009 – January 3, 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Tom Dantzler |
| Succeeded by | Bill Crosby |
| Member of the Charleston County Council from the 3rd district | |
| In office February 8, 1995 – January 3, 2009 | |
| Preceded by | Keith Summey |
| Succeeded by | Elliott Summey |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Timothy Eugene Scott September 19, 1965 North Charleston, South Carolina, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Domestic partner | Mindy Noce (engaged 2024) |
| Education | Charleston Southern University (BS) |
| Signature | |
| Website | Senate website |
Scott served on the Charleston County Council from 1995 to 2009. He then served in the South Carolina General Assembly from 2009 to 2011, and represented South Carolina's 1st congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011 to 2013.
Nikki Haley, who was then governor of South Carolina, appointed Scott to the U.S. Senate in 2013 to fill a vacancy. He retained his Senate seat after winning a special election in 2014, and was elected to a full term in 2016 and reelected in 2022. He became the first African-American senator to be elected from the Southern United States since the Reconstruction era.
Scott was a candidate in the 2024 Republican Party presidential primaries, forming an exploratory committee on April 13, 2023. He filed Federal Election Commission paperwork to run for president on May 19, and formally declared his candidacy three days later. Scott suspended his campaign on November 12 of that year due to low poll numbers.