Tim Scott vows to stay optimistic ahead of second debate
September 21, 2023 11:08 AM
Sen. Tim Scott‘s (R-SC) first GOP presidential primary debate may not have had the breakout performance his campaign needed, but that doesn’t mean he’s willing to abandon his optimistic approach ahead of next week’s second debate.
Scott told conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt Thursday morning he plans to maintain his happy warrior stance as he runs for president and prepares to meet with his 2024 competitors onstage at the Presidential Foundation & Institute in Simi Valley, California.
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Several experts said fellow South Carolinian Nikki Haley and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy overshadowed Scott’s tame debate performance last month as they two battled over differences in foreign policy. Hewitt asked the South Carolina senator if he would be “the same Tim Scott as in debate one in debate two” during his show.
“I think you’ll see the same optimistic, positive approach to debating, and I certainly hope that we have a chance to contrast on some of the issues and not have a food fight,” Scott said. “It is time for us to showcase to America why this nation can do for anyone what she’s done for me. But if we’re going to have a food fight, someone has to bring us back to the issues that are germane to the American people, and not a food fight talking about things that don’t matter to the voters.”
Scott’s comments echo a stance from his campaign manager, Jennifer DeCasper, who addressed donors’ skittishness of Scott in a memo this week. “We saw a lot of ink spilled in the wake of the last debate on “who’s up,” “who’s down,” and how the entire campaign seemingly is won or lost in 90 minutes on a stage in Milwaukee,” DeCasper wrote. “I’m here to tell you to ignore the noise and focus on the facts in front of us.”
DeCasper outlined the senator’s consistent polling, favorability ratings, and strong campaign finances as reasons why his campaign has the resources to last despite a lackluster debate presence. “Tim will take the stage in Simi Valley next week and remind us, as he always does, why we’re a part of Team Tim Scott,” she continued. “Beyond that, I’d encourage you to remember that these nights are merely a single moment in time. Any candidate who hopes to truly capitalize on it must be disciplined and built for the long haul.”
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Hewitt asked Scott to comment on the reaction to DeCasper’s memo, first obtained by Politico on Wednesday, and Scott again maintained his positive approach. “I think absolutely, our campaign is going to continue to focus on an optimistic, positive message. That does not mean we will not engage in a contrast with our other opponents,” Scott answered.
“We have opponents who want to raise the death tax to 59%. That is just wrong,” he continued. “So, the fact of the matter is that there are policy differences between who we are and what we represent for America’s best future. And some of my opponents on the stage who want a fundamentally different kind of Republican Party, that is the kind of contrast that I believe you can showcase while having an optimistic, positive approach.”