B Sen. Scott enters presidential race

epublican .S. Sen. im Scott S.C. , who filed paperwork on riday with the ederal Election Commission to run for president in , kicked off his campaign for the primary with an announcement address onday morning in Charleston.

he only Black epublican member serving in the Senate, Scott developed a strident anti- B record since entering national politics in with his first election to the ouse, during which time he told ewsweek homose uality is a “morally wrong choice, like adultery. oday, Scott remains opposed to same-se marriage, writing on his Senate bio that South Carolinians “have voted overwhelmingly to protect the traditional definition of marriage, and I stand with their decision.

ast year, Scott cosigned a letter with other Senate epublicans urging the caucus to oppose the espect for arriage ct unless it contained provisions allowing for discrimination against B couples. Scott, , is single and never married, which has led to some speculation about his se ual orientation.

In ebruary, with Sen. ick Scott of lorida, Scott introduced legislation that would cut funding for any el- ementary or middle school in the country that changes a student s pronouns, gender markers, or access to sebased accommodations like locker rooms without first obtaining consent from their parents or legal guardians. aving developed a reputation as a fiscal and social conservative who is well-liked by his epublican Senate colleagues, Scott hopes to build a coalition of establishment types and evangelical conservatives who are skeptical or critical of the party s frontrunner, former resident Donald rump. ccording to o , Scott is polling around percent, but he will be able to transfer million from his Senate campaign coffers to help fund his presidential bid and has begun aggressively buying up television ads in early primary states as campaigns get underway in the ne t few months. he unior senator from South Carolina will face off against the state s former epublican governor, ikki aley, who served as ambassador to the nited ations during the rump administration. aley, who appointed Scott to fill the Senate seat vacated by im De int in , announced her bid for president in ebruary.

Caitlin Byrd, senior politics reporter for the ost and Courier, noted on witter that South Carolina Democrats are broadcasting mobile billboards that echo the same arguments they used to oppose aley s candidacy, seeking to portray the candidates platforms as indistinguishable from rump s.

CHRISTOPHER KANE