The GOP's only African-American senator originally wanted to be a Democrat

(Image credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

published 16 March 2018

South Carolina's Tim Scott is the only black Republican in the Senate. But in an in-depth interview with Politico, he revealed that he was this close to being a Democrat instead.

Despite his conservative views on fiscal policies and social issues, he told Politico that he wasn't originally sure that his politics aligned with the Republican Party's:

He was volunteering [in 1994] on the congressional campaign of a young man named Mark Sanford, attracted to his platform of fiscal discipline. But Scott wasn't sure he himself was a Republican. He visited the local Democratic Party headquarters to tell them he was interested in running for [an open Charleston City Council seat]. "They told me to get in line," Scott laughs. He went straight to the GOP headquarters. "They said, 'You probably won't win, but heck we'd love to see you run.'" And just like that, Scott was a Republican. "Access to opportunity is my No. 1 issue," he says by way of explanation. "It doesn't really matter what your title is; your mission is the same." [Politico]

Overall, Scott is also one of just three African-American members in the entire upper chamber, joining Democratic Sens. Cory Booker (N.J.) and Kamala Harris (Calif.). But he rejects any attempts to pigeonhole his tenure through a racial lens. He believes that President Trump's time in office has been beneficial for Americans, pushing communities to have "painful, ugly, embarrassing" conversations about thorny issues like race.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Explore More

Summer Meza has worked at The Week since 2018, serving as a staff writer, a news writer and currently the deputy editor. As a proud news generalist, she edits everything from political punditry and science news to personal finance advice and film reviews. Summer has previously written for Newsweek and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer, covering national politics, transportation and the cannabis industry.

Subscribe to The Week

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox