Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) remains in the headlines as he hints at a “major announcement” on May 22nd after launching a presidential exploratory committee last month. The Senator has served in the Senate since 2013 and has made a name for himself in pushing for a Republican approach to police reform. He was also one of the speakers for the 2020 Republican National Convention (RNC) and delivered the Republican response to President Biden’s first State of the Union Address in 2021. He worked closely with President Trump during his presidency and pushed back against Illinois Senator Dick Durbin (D), who called his police reform efforts “token.” “To think that on this day, as we try to make sure that fewer people lose confidence in this nation – to have the senator from Illinois refer to this process, this bill, this opportunity to restore hope and confidence and trust from the American people, from African Americans, from communities of color, to call this a token process hurts my soul for my country, for our people,” he said to Durbin’s comments.

His initial video announcement of the exploratory committee highlighted Scott’s Christian faith. He framed the underlying struggle of the Civil War as “Would [America] truly be one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all?” and filled his video with images of Bibles and churches. Scott described his faith in a 2020 interview with BJU today, saying, “I first committed my life to the Lord at 11. I recommitted my life to the Lord, and I thought a lot about that conversion at Presbyterian College when Jesus was no longer my Savior only; He was my Lord and Savior. And to me, Him being my Lord meant that I was going to live my life in a way that was consistent with His word.” Scott grew up in poverty, raised by a single mother who was deeply committed to Christ. He credits his faith and his mother’s strong work ethic with helping him to get out of poverty. Speaking to Faithwire, he shared his love of America. “I believe that America can do for anyone what she has done for me. And I believe that we have to restore hope, create opportunities, and protect America.”

Scott also renounced the “victimhood mentality” he believes has become so prevalent in America. “We have so much to celebrate. We are actually the land of opportunity and not a land of oppression. I believe that [in] today’s culture, there’s this victimhood that seems to be sold on one side, where we all know that individual responsibility leads forward.” Scott also shared how his life has been filled with triumph. His grandfather, who dropped out of the third grade during Jim Crow so he could pick cotton for his family, was able to see Scott in Congress. “According to Ephesians 3:20 … ‘God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly, above all that we ask or imagine.’ No one could have imagined my grandfather was picking cotton. I picked a seat in Congress … If there’s ever a time to tell the story of American progress, the time is now, and if there’s someone who’s been on both sides of that track, that’s lived the testimony, it is time for that person to stand up,” he said.