U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.). (Washington Blade photo by Michael Key)
SPARTANBURG, S.C. | U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) announced Nov. 12 he will drop out of the Republican presidential primary contest, in a move that reportedly caught his own campaign staff by surprise.
“When I go back to Iowa, it will not be as a presidential candidate” the senator told former GOP congressman and Fox News host Trey Gowdy, on his program “Sunday Night in America,” two months ahead of the Iowa caucuses.
“I am suspending my campaign,” Scott said, adding, “I think the voters who are the most remarkable people on the planet have been really clear that they’re telling me, ‘Not now, Tim.’”
The second major Republican candidate to leave the race after former Vice President Mike Pence, Scott’s campaign struggled to advance in the polls, which have seen former President Donald Trump maintain a decisive lead over the other GOP hopefuls.
According to FiveThirtyEight averages, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is in a distant second place, 42.6 points behind with 14 percent support from likely Republican primary voters. He is followed by former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and two candidates polling under one percent.
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