Mr. Scott, the son of a single mother and the grandson of a man forced to drop out of primary school to pick cotton, made his compelling personal story a feature in his speeches. and public interviews. He often mentions his résumé to highlight a rise that he believes can only happen in America.
“Lucky to come from a state like South Carolina, where a child growing up in a single parent family living in poverty can one day think about becoming president of the United States, ” he told reporters on Friday. “Made in America only is my story.”
However, Mr. Scott’s history and positive message sometimes seem to contradict the mood of many in his party. Mr. Trump, long known for creating derogatory terms for his competitors, pursued Democrats as well as Republicans. The super PAC supporting Mr. Trump’s campaign has spent nearly $4 million on television ads – largely critical of Governor DeSantis – in the past three weeks, according to ad-tracking tool AdImpact. Mr. DeSantis’ PAC fired back, running an ad suggesting that the former president had joined Democrats in supporting gun control.
“The negatives are the loudest,” said Kathy Crawford, 67, an independent voter and longtime Charleston resident, who said she would support Scott in the Republican primary. if you run for office. Voters “want to bring the country back together and they want a positive message,” she said.
And Mr. Scott’s message could resonate with a key audience in the Republican primary: conservative Protestants. Mr. Scott spent considerable time focusing on Protestant voters during his tour of the early states, often meeting with small groups of religious leaders between campaign stops. election campaign. His public speeches often featured many quotes from the Bible. And in the video announcing his presidential probing committee, he pledged to “defend the Judeo-Christian foundation on which our nation is built and protect our religious freedom.” .
Mr. Scott’s Friday restaurant appearance had all the stops of the campaign, as he greeted staff, worked in a room around a group of reporters and hugged patrons. Outside, supporters held up placards that read “Please run for president for the 4th time” and “cotton to Congress to the White House,” a reference to his biography.
“It’s good to be back home,” Scott said to applause.
But Mr. Scott has felt the growing pressure of becoming a potential presidential candidate. At stops in Iowa and New Hampshire this week, the senator did not directly answer reporters’ questions about which abortion restrictions he might support as president, at one point. said he would support a ban on the procedure after 20 weeks and at other times issued a vague statement. replied, stating only that he was against abortion.
