Tim Scott is the most heralded Republican House candidate this year, and for good reason. He’s likeable, experienced in politics at the local and state level, a self-described “bleeding heart conservative” of the Jack Kemp school, and the champion of an economic program he describes as “under the umbrella of fiscal sanity.” Scott, by the way, is an African-American from South Carolina.

Scott, 44, is a strong favorite to win the House seat being vacated by Republican Rep. Henry Brown, who is retiring. He defeated Paul Thurmond, son of Strom, in a runoff last month for the Republican nomination. Now, absent polling evidence, he figures he’s ahead by a dozen to 15 percentage points over his Democratic opponent Ben Frasier, an African American who’s run for office 19 times but never won.

Scott, amazingly enough, is already the toast of Republicans in Washington, where he spent the last few days meeting with Republican leaders, strategists, and the media. Republicans are eager for an African-American to join their ranks.

If he wins, Scott may not arrive on Capitol Hill as the only African-American Republican. Two others, Allen West in Florida and Ryan Frazier in Colorado, have at least an outside chance of ousting incumbent Democratic House members. There hasn’t been a black Republican in Congress since J.C. Watts retired from the House in 2003.

As he tells it, Scott became a Republican in three stages. First, there was the military influence. His father spent 27 years in the Air Force and his two brothers are in the military. “Having a strong military always made sense to me,” he told me. And Republicans support a strong military, he says.

Second, there was his becoming a Christian in college. That turned him into a social conservative and strong foe of legalized abortion. This, too, turned him toward Republicans, he says.

And third, he went into the insurance business after graduating from Charleston Southern. He became a tax payer. “If you pay enough taxes, you’ll be a Republican,” according to Scott.

In 1994, he decided to run for the Charleston County Council and announced his candidacy at a Republican meeting. “With a look of shock and cautious optimism, they clapped,” he says. He styled himself the “guru of economic development” as a council member for 13 years.

He spent two years as a state legislator, then declared himself a candidate for lieutenant governor of South Carolina in 2010, raising about $300,000. But since he was running on national issues, he was persuaded to switch to the House race after Brown announced his retirement. He had to return the unspent campaign money for state office. “That was painful,” he says.
Scott’s economic plan has three planks: limiting “government intrusion,” including the repeal of President Obama’s health care program, tax reform with reduced individual and corporate taxes, and deep spending cuts.

Why is the late Jack Kemp his model in politics? “He was a conservative who loved people,” Scott says, “and that is key to articulating a message people want to hear.” If he’s elected, Scott will be the one Republican freshman who will surely have an opportunity to be heard.

Fred Barnes is the executive editor of THE WEEKLY STANDARD.

FreedomWorks PAC is pleased to announce the endorsement of Republican candidate Tim Scott in the SC-1 congressional race. Tim Scott has earned the “Champion of Freedom” title because of his firm commitment to lower taxes, less government, and more freedom.

Tim Scott has pledged to oppose any and all tax increases and signed the grassroots “Contract From America”: a ten-point platform crafted with the input of tens of thousands of tea party and limited government activists from all across the country. The Contract best represents an agenda that will stay true to the guiding principles of the U.S. Constitution.

Scott is also an outspoken opponent of the Obamacare health care takeover and the job-killing cap and trade energy tax hike.

FreedomWorks PAC will support Scott’s congressional bid by funding Get Out The Vote (GOTV) efforts leading up to election day. This will include door-to-door literature drops, phone banks, and yard sign distribution.

FreedomWorks PAC President Matt Kibbe commented, “Tim Scott has a passion for limited government that will make him a fighter for lower taxes, less government, and more freedom once in Congress. FreedomWorks PAC is proud to name him as a Champion of Freedom.”

For more information about this race and others that FreedomWorks PAC will be targeting in 2010 as part of the Take America Back campaign, please visit the PAC website, http://pac.freedomworks.org/ or contact FreedomWorks PAC Managing Director Rob Jordan at (202) 942-7624.

“I understand that the NAACP, at its annual conference in Kansas City, will vote today on a resolution condemning the Tea Party movement as “racist”. I believe that the NAACP is making a grave mistake in stereotyping a diverse group of Americans who care deeply about their country and who contribute their time, energy and resources to make a difference.”

“As I campaign in South Carolina, I participate in numerous events sponsored by the Tea Party, 9/12, Patriot, and other like-minded groups, and I have had the opportunity to get to know many of the men and women who make up these energetic grassroots organizations. Americans need to know that the Tea Party is a color-blind movement that has principled differences with many of the leaders in Washington, both Democrats and Republicans. Their aim is to support the strongest candidates – regardless of color or background – who will fight to return our country to its Constitutional roots of limited government, fiscal responsibility, and free markets.”

Former U.S. Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich made a stop in town on Friday to help raise funds for 1st Congressional District candidate Tim Scott.

Scott said he was inspired by Gingrich’s 1994 Contract with America when Scott first ran for Charleston County Council.

Photo by Grace Beahm, Post and Courier

“When I think about Newt Gingrich, I think about 1994,” he said, referencing the year in which Gingrich led a Republican takeover of the House of Representatives.

Rep. Tim Scott greets his supporters who gathered at a fundraiser Friday at Tristan in Charleston to hear former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who is endorsing Scott in his run for the 1st Congressional District.
Covering the politics of the Lowcountry, South Carolina and the nation.

Scott spoke of a “government bubble,” comprised of high spending and large deficits that he said is the next crisis threatening the United States.

“We must reclaim America by reclaiming our financial common sense,” he said to applause.

Gingrich began his short speech at the $500-per-person event by praising Scott, especially the contract he had printed on the back of campaign brochures.

He then moved on to other topics, focusing on the Obama administration and the national government at large. He said Obama “saved [Jimmy] Carter from being the worst president in modern times.”

He called the government incompetent regarding national security and said too much regulation was getting in the way of small businesses.

Gingrich made a stop on his way to Charleston to speak with gubernatorial candidate Nikki Haley. He said he gave her advice on building a relationship with the state Legislature.

“She’s gonna work to build a team so that the entire team gets the job done,” he said.

The crowd at downtown restaurant Tristan, about 40-strong, included former Gov. Jim Edwards and GOP attorney general candidate Alan Wilson. U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson made a brief appearance toward the end of the event.

Gingrich has been named by some as a potential Republican presidential candidate in 2012.

Although he said he had not made the decision officially, he said he had not ruled out the possibility of running for president. “We’re looking at it very seriously,” he said, emphasizing his current focus on this fall’s races.

Gingrich’s endorsement of Scott is the fourth to come from a potential 2012 GOP presidential nominee. He already has been backed by former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, former Alaska Gov. and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

“I think that’s indicative that … all the votes are coming through South Carolina,” Scott said.

Scott’s November opponents include perennial Democratic candidate Ben Frasier, Keith Blandford of the Libertarian Party, Robert Dobbs of the Green Party, M.E. McCullough of the United Citizens Party and Jimmy Wood of the Independent Party.

Tickets Range $500.00 – $2,000.00.

Call the SC Republican Party at 1-803-988-8440 if you are interested in attending.

Click here to watch.

To out-of-state media, Tim Scott is the black Republican who beat Strom Thurmond’s son Paul in an ironic election outcome fraught with racial symbolism and historic significance.

What’s missing from that perspective is the fact that Scott has been warmly embraced by the Republican Party and its mostly white electorate in South Carolina for more than 15 years.

He was the recipient of record-setting campaign donations from the state GOP during his first run for Charleston County Council in 1995, and in 1996 he co-chaired the Senate re-election campaign of the elder Thurmond.

State Rep. Tim Scott has his hands full in his West Ashley insurance office Wednesday, a day after clinching the Republican nomination for the 1st Congressional District.

“Paul was always more of a (Charleston County) Council colleague than a son of Strom Thurmond, to me,” said Scott, who was council chairman when Thurmond was elected to that body.

Yes, Scott was the first black Republican elected to public office in South Carolina since 1900, when he first won a seat on County Council.

He’s the only black Republican in the Legislature today, and he likely will be the only black Republican in Congress if he wins the general election in November.

But Scott is quick to dismiss that sort of talk, and has been loath to discuss race at all during his congressional campaign. He claims no interest in being the “only” or the “first” black anything.

“My goal is just to be the guy that I’ve always been,” he said at his Allstate Insurance Co. office in West Ashley the day after his victory in the runoff election.

Scott, 44, said that what his large margin of victory demonstrates — he captured 68 percent of the vote in the runoff — is that conservatives are colorblind when it comes to electing conservatives. They care about ideas and ideals. Period.

That’s a message that conservatives and the tea party movement have been eager to spread, in response to suggestions that some opposition to President Barack Obama is racially based.

“I think South Carolina voters are conservative and want conservative candidates, and don’t care what they look like,” Scott said.

Scott’s conservative bona fides include heavy financial support from the Club for Growth political action committee, and endorsements from former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and former Alaska Gov. and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin.

The real issue for the Republican Party, Scott said, is the question of which political philosophy is best, and from which part of the political spectrum should the party and the nation be governed.

“I think the dynamics of this party are in flux right now,” he said. “My answer is simple: It’s from the far, conservative right.”

Scott denounces the Democrats who control Washington today as socialists who want to run up the national debt. He’s embraces the economic theories of Arthur Laffer — the idea that tax cuts result in greater tax revenues, up to a point — that guided the Reagan administration.

Scott’s congressional campaign largely has been defined by what he promises to not do in Congress, if elected. He’s pledged to not accept any earmarks for his district, to not serve more than four terms, to not support cap-and-trade climate legislation, and to not support any spending that adds to the deficit.

“I believe we either reform the system or we lose our financial footing,” he said.

Running in a Republican district with no well-funded opponents, Scott is the runaway favorite to win the general election, but he would be the last person to say so.

“If you run like your life is at stake, chances are you will do your best,” Scott said. “I’ve lost before, and it’s not fun.”

Of course, a lot could happen between now and November, and this is South Carolina, where an unemployed man who did not campaign, Alvin Greene, won the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate against a well-funded retired judge who is a former state lawmaker.

Scott’s opponents in the 1st Congressional District are perennial Democratic candidate Ben Frasier, Keith Blandford of the Libertarian Party, Robert Dobbs of the Green Party, M.E. McCullough of the United Citizens Party and Jimmy Wood of the Independent Party.

The 1st District covers parts of Berkeley, Charleston, Dorchester, Georgetown and Horry counties. It has been in Republican hands since 1980.

Scott noted that the last time the United States had a federal budget surplus was when Bill Clinton was president and Republicans controlled Congress.

“It seems like things work best in our country when we have tension between the two parties,” Scott said. “I want to help provide that tension.”

The State
Scott Makes History
http://www.thestate.com/2010/06/23/1345598/scott-makes-history.html

The New York Times
Race, Republicans, and Tim Scott
http://douthat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/23/race-republicans-and-tim-scott/

Bloomberg Businessweek
Tim Scott, Black Republican, Nominated for House seat
http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-06-22/tim-scott-black-republican-nominated-for-house-seat.html?utm_source=Frankguillen&utm_medium=laconica&utm_campaign=FrankGuillen+Buzz

The Washington Post-The Fix
Winners and Losers:  SC & NC
http://voices.washingtonpost.com/thefix/winners-and-losers/winners-and-losers-south-carol-1.html?wprss=thefix

POST AND COURIER
PAC Endorses Scott for Congress
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2010/mar/24/pac-endorses-scott-congress/

GOP Candidates Tout Solutions
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2010/apr/27/gop-candidates-tout-solutions/

Haley, Scott Win Straw Poll
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2010/may/04/haley-scott-win-straw-poll/

WCIV
GOP Candidates for Congress Face Off
http://www.wciv.com/news/stories/0410/729931.html

CHARLESTON CITY PAPER
Tim Scott is Proof of How Far We’ve Come
http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/charleston/tim-scott-is-proof-of-how-far-weve-come/Content?oid=1992023

Thurmond, Tumpy and other 1st Dist. Candies give thumbs up to Irag War
http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/HaireoftheDog/archives/2010/03/26/thurmond-tumpy-and-others-1st-dist-candies-give-thumbs-up-to-iraq-war

WYFF
Lawmakers Move Forward To Hinder Health Care Act
http://www.wyff4.com/news/22957494/detail.html

WSPA
Health Care Bill Opposed 2nd SC Panel
http://www2.wspa.com/news/2010/mar/25/7/public-hearing-statehouse-thursday-federal-health–ar-71082/

CQ POLITICS
South Carolina: Club Endorses Scott
http://blogs.cqpolitics.com/eyeon2010/2010/03/south-carolina-club-endorses-s.html

POLITICO
Club Goes with Scott
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0310/34872.html

FITS NEWS
Congressional Candidates Push Obamacare Ballot Question
http://www.fitsnews.com/2010/03/24/congressional-candidates-push-obamacare-ballot-question/

SC Republicans Want Obamacare on Statewide Ballot
http://www.fitsnews.com/2010/03/23/sc-republicans-want-obamacare-on-statewide-ballot/

State Rep. Tim Scott took a step toward history Tuesday night, handily locking up the Republican nomination for the 1st Congressional District.

He took 68 percent of the vote to beat his former Charleston County Council colleague Paul Thurmond, which makes him likely to become the first black Republican to serve in the U.S. House since J.C. Watts of Oklahoma retired six years ago.

Tim Scott won a run-off election to become Republican candidate for South Carolina’s 1st congressional district, defeating Paul Thurmond, son of long-time U.S. Senator, the late Strom Thurmond, on Tuesday June 22, 2010. He spoke to supporters at the Hilton Garden Inn in North Charleston.

If these unofficial results hold and Scott also wins Nov. 2, he would become the first black Republican elected to Congress from the Deep South since Reconstruction.

During their campaign, Scott and Thurmond, whose late father had a record-setting Senate career that famously included early opposition to integration, played down the historical implications of their race.

“This election is about finding a way to bring us together so our country continues to lead the world on every front possible,” Scott told his cheering supporters.

Scott, 44, said later he wants to be remembered for his principles and issues. “The relevance of me being black is really, fortunately irrelevant,” he said. “The voters voted for a guy who they felt represented their values and their issues and their philosophy.”

Thurmond’s legendary father, Strom Thurmond, is remembered in part for his 1948 presidential bid as a segregationist “Dixiecrat” almost three decades before Paul Thurmond was born.

Paul Thurmond deliberately avoided interviews from national journalists exploring that angle. After the polls closed, Thurmond said any candidate who defeats eight others during an extended primary contest is legitimate.

“It has nothing to do with their skin. It’s about their ability to connect with the people,” he said. Thurmond, 34, grew up in the post-Civil Rights era and said of Scott, “If some bridges are torn down because of this, that’s a great thing.”

Scott’s big win is a bright spot for national Republicans trying to diversify their party.

While Michael Steele, the first black to head the Republican National Committee, recruited 32 African-American candidates, most have lost or are expected to lose.

Andy Sere, spokesman for the National Republican Campaign Committee, said Scott didn’t bring his race into the campaign, but instead stressed his conservative message.

The NRCC remained neutral, but such national Republicans as former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, former Alaska Governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin and the Club for Growth lined up behind Scott.

Thurmond and Scott agreed on the need to lower spending and cut taxes, but they disagreed on earmarks.

Scott opposed them unilaterally, but Thurmond said he would fight for some, such as money for dredging Charleston Harbor. Unlike Thurmond, Scott also vowed, if elected, not to seek more than four terms.
Covering the politics of the Lowcountry, South Carolina and the nation.

About 14 percent of 1st District voters turned out Tuesday. That was about 12,000 fewer votes than the 80,845 cast in the nine-way contest June 8.

Scott will take on perennial Democratic candidate Ben Frasier on Nov. 2. Other independent candidates on that ballot are Keith Blandford of the Libertarian Party, Robert Dobbs of the Green Party, M.E. McCullough of the United Citizens Party and Jimmy Wood of the Independent Party.

The 1st District covers parts of Berkeley, Charleston, Dorchester, Georgetown and Horry counties. It has been in Republican hands since 1980.