Top Republican Candidate Drops Out for New Passion

Despite stellar fundraising and well-received debate performances, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott said he’s heading in a new direction.

In an apparent shock to most of his campaign staff, Scott announced he would drop out of the Republican presidential race on Fox News.

“When I go back to Iowa it will not be as a presidential candidate,” Scott said to a surprised Trey Gowdy. “The voters, who are the most remarkable people on the planet … They’re telling me, ‘not now, Tim.’ I don’t think they’re saying, Trey, ‘no,’ but I do they’re saying, ‘not now.’”

Politico reported that on a campaign call immediately following the interview, Scott acknowledged to his staff that the announcement “may have caught you by surprise,” and that he “tried to be as strategic as possible dealing with this.”

Scott struggled to meet the donor threshold for the third Republican debate, despite strong fundraising from large donors, but his supporters considered it to be one of his best appearances yet.

However, with the Republican National Committee once again raising the bar to qualify for the next debate in December, Scott reportedly fears he will not make the cut.

High Expectations Come Crashing Down

Many establishment Republicans had high hopes for Scott when he entered the race. He is a prolific fundraiser and his messaging is soft in stark contrast to former President Donald Trump.

But he struggled to catch on with voters. Asked about the possibility of becoming a vice-presidential candidate instead, Scott bristled.

“I’ll be honest with you, I ran for president to be president. I believe I could have taken this country to new heights with great unity on conservative principles.”

“That’s what the Lord put in my heart,“ he continued. “I think I was called to run. I was not called to win. But I certainly was called to run. And I’ll say this, that being vice president has never been on my to-do list for this campaign, and it’s certainly not there now.”

While he has not publicly stated his next direction, Scott has been focusing on antisemitism on college campuses, which he may rededicate himself to tackling after wrapping up his campaign activities.