The winds of change could be sweeping through the presidential campaign of Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), as a super PAC supporting the Republican candidate has chosen to cease a significant portion of its television ad purchases for the fall.
This decision by the Trust in the Mission PAC, outlined in a memo from co-chair Rob Collins to supporters, hints at a possible deceleration in Mr. Scott’s campaign momentum. While Mr. Scott recently filed his candidacy for South Carolina’s primary, the scaling back of ad buys raises questions about its strategy building up to November 2024.
In the memo from Mr. Collins, the former co-chair said the group would continue with door-knocking and other efforts, with an eye toward potentially reallocating resources as actual votes draw nearer.
“Until the experts recognize Tim is the only candidate that can capture the nomination and defeat President Joe Biden, there will be a very expensive and loud next few months—full of sound and fury and signifying nothing,” Mr. Collins wrote in the memo, which was obtained by AP and first reported on by Politico.
“So, we are doing what would be obvious in the business world but will mystify politicos—we aren’t going to waste our money when the electorate isn’t focused or ready for a Trump alternative. We have done the research. We have studied the focus groups. We have been following Tim on the trail. This electorate is locked up, and money spent on mass media isn’t going to change minds until we get a lot closer to voting.”
A spokesperson for Mr. Scott’s campaign responded to news of the change, telling The Epoch Times in an emailed statement, “From Day One, Tim’s campaign was built for the long haul—powered by the most primary cash on hand and the highest candidate favorability of anyone in the field.
“On issues ranging from Israel to abortion, he has been the clearest and strongest voice, leading while others have followed. We’re ready, as ever, to take our message into the early states and beyond.”
Public Engagements Continue
Mr. Scott will deliver a speech on Monday at Georgetown University in Washington covering topics including the conflict between Israel and Hamas, American foreign policy, and national security.At a forum presented by The Associated Press and Georgetown University’s Institute of Politics and Public Service, the Republican presidential contender is participating in a panel discussion. This is the second in a series of forums the groups will organize with potential GOP contenders for president in 2024 on this topic.
Mr. Scott, who filed his candidacy for his home state primary in Columbia on Monday, is expected to take questions from Georgetown students in the audience and pre-recorded questions from college students at Clemson University, Iowa State University, and the University of New Hampshire, which are located in early voting states.
The senator from South Carolina has put less emphasis on foreign affairs and more on a positive message rooted in his Christian faith and a demand for more personal responsibility in the United States during the course of his campaign.
However, last week, he spoke at the Hudson Institute think tank in Washington about Israel, where he condemned the attack on Israel by Hamas militants, saying it filled Americans “with heartbreak, and frankly, righteous anger,” but he also blamed the Biden administration for weak foreign policy contributing to the carnage.
By recently pushing for a Senate investigation into financing sources that he and other Republicans say may have been related to Hamas militants’ attack on Israel, he has also attempted to merge his Senate duties with foreign policy strides that may benefit his 2024 GOP presidential bid.
Mr. Scott, who is the ranking member of the Senate Banking Committee, has requested a meeting with Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to investigate the recent transfer of $6 billion in frozen Iranian assets to an account in Qatar. The candidate is running for president against a former vice president, a former U.N. ambassador, and current and former governors, and he is sometimes challenged on his seeming lack of executive experience.
