Timothy Eugene "Tim" Scott (born September 19, 1965) is the U.S. Representative for South Carolina's 1st congressional district. Elected in November 2010 to the 112th Congress, he and Allen West of Florida are the first Republican African-American Representatives from the South since Reconstruction, and the first Republican African-American members of Congress since 2003.
Scott is also one of the two members of the freshman class chosen to sit at the House Republican leadership table. Scott, a fiscal and cultural conservative, ran for Congress on a platform of reducing federal spending and taxes. He was endorsed by Tea Party groups and prominent right-leaning Republicans.
Previously, Scott served one term in the South Carolina General Assembly (2009–2011), and 13 years on the Charleston County Council (1996–2008). A graduate of Charleston Southern University, Scott owns an insurance agency and has worked as a financial advisor.
Early life and education
Scott was born in Charleston, South Carolina to Ben Scott, Sr. and Francis Scott, a nursing assistant. His parents were divorced when he was 7, and he grew up in poverty under the care of his mother who worked 16-hour days. He has an older brother who is a U.S. Army officer in Germany.
Scott attended Presbyterian College from 1983 to 1984, and graduated from Charleston Southern University in 1988 with a Bachelor of Science in Political Science.
In addition to his political career, Scott owns an insurance agency, and works as a financial advisor.
Local and state politics (1995-2010)
Scott was elected in 1995 to the Charleston County Council, becoming the first black Republican elected to any office in South Carolina since Reconstruction, and serving for a time alongside Paul Thurmond, the son of the late Republican U.S. Senator, Strom Thurmond. In 1996, he was the Republican nominee for a South Carolina state Senate seat, but lost to incumbent Democrat Robert Ford.
In 1997, Scott supported having the Ten Commandments posted outside the county council chambers, saying it would remind members of the absolute rules they should follow. The county council then unanimously approved the display and Scott nailed a King James version of the Commandments to the wall. Shortly after, the ACLU and Americans United for Separation of Church and State sued. After an initial court ruling said the display was unconstitutional, the council settled to avoid accruing more legal fees. Regarding the costs of the suit, Scott said, "Whatever it costs in the pursuit of this goal (of displaying the Commandments) is worth it".
Scott served on the Council from 1995 until 2008, becoming Chairman in 2007. He also chaired the Economic Development Committee of the Charleston County Council.
He was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives for District 117 in 2008, becoming the first Republican African-American representative in more than 100 years.
2010 election for U.S. House of Representatives
Republican primary
Scott entered the election for lieutenant governor before switching to the race for South Carolina's 1st congressional district following the retirement announcement of Republican incumbent Henry Brown. The 1st district is based in Charleston, and includes approximately the northern 3/4 of the state's coastline (except for Beaufort and Hilton Head Island, which are in the 2nd District).
Scott was number one in the nine candidate Republican primary of June 8, 2010, receiving 32 percent of the vote—nearly double that of second place finisher Paul Thurmond.
Scott also defeated Carroll A. Campbell, III, the son of former South Carolina governor Carroll A. Campbell, Jr. Because no candidate had received 50 percent or more of the vote, a runoff was held on June 22, 2010 with Scott defeating Thurmond 68 percent to 32 percent. During the primaries, Scott was endorsed by the anti-tax National Club for Growth, various Tea Party movement groups, former Alaska Governor and Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin, Republican House Whip Eric Cantor, former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint, and the founder of the Minuteman Project.
General election
According to the Associated Press, Scott "swamped his opponents in fundraising, spending almost $725,000 during the election cycle to less than $20,000 for his November opponents".
He won the general election on November 2, 2010, defeating Democrat Ben Frasier by a margin of 65 to 29 percent. Following the election, Scott and Allen West of Florida became the first African-American Republicans in Congress since J.C. Watts retired in 2003. Scott also became the first African-American Republican elected to Congress from South Carolina in 114 years.
U.S. Representative (2011-)
In March 2011, Scott co-sponsored a welfare reform bill that would deny food stamps to families whose incomes were lowered to the point of eligibility because a family member was participating in a labor strike.
He introduced legislation in July 2011 to strip the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) of its power to prohibit employers from relocating to punish workers who join unions or strike. The rationale for the legislation is that government agencies should not be able to tell private employers where they can run a business.
Scott described the legislation as a common sense proposal that would fix a flaw in federal labor policy and benefit the national and local economies. The NLRB had recently opposed the relocation of a Boeing production facility from Washington state to South Carolina.
Scott successfully advocated for federal funds for a Charleston harbor dredging project estimated at $300 million, arguing that the project is neither an earmark nor an example of wasteful government spending. He said the project was merit-based, and in the national interest because larger cargo ships could use the port and jobs would be created.
During the summer 2011 debate over raising the U.S. debt ceiling, Scott said that President Barack Obama could be impeached over the debt crisis. Scott supported the inclusion of a balanced budget constitutional amendment in the debt ceiling bill, and opposed compromise bills that did not include the amendment. Before voting "no" on the final compromise legislation, Scott and other first term conservatives prayed for guidance in a congressional chapel. Afterwards, Scott acknowledged he had received divine inspiration regarding his vote, and joined rest of the South Carolina congressional delegation in voting no on the measure.
Committee assignments
Scott was appointed by the House Republican Steering Committee to both the Committee on Transportation and the Committee on Small Business. He declined to join the Congressional Black Caucus.
Political positions
Taxes and spending – Scott believes that federal spending and taxes should be reduced.
Health care – Scott believes the 2010 health care reform law should be repealed. Scott states that the health care in the U.S. is one of the greatest in the world, asserting that people all over the world come to study in American medical schools, waiting lists are rare, and Americans are able to choose their insurance, providers, and course of treatment. Scott supports an alternative to the health care bill that he says keeps these benefits while controlling costs by reforming the medical tort system by having a limit on non-economic damages and by reforming Medicare.
Earmarks- Scott opposes earmarks.
Economic development - He supports infrastructure development and public works for his district believing it will improve the economy. He opposes restrictions on deepwater oil drilling.
Social issues – Scott is pro-life. Scott supports adult and cord blood stem cell research. He opposes embryonic stem cell research funded by taxpayers. He opposes the creation of human embryos for experimentation. and opposes assisted suicide.
Immigration – Scott supports federal legislation that is similar to the Arizona law, Arizona SB 1070. He supports strengthening penalties for employers who knowingly hire illegal immigrants. He also promotes cultural assimilation by making English the official language in the government, and by forcing new immigrants to learn English.
Labor –Scott has a pro-business orientation.
Foreign Policy -Scott advocates a continued military presence in Afghanistan. He also views Iran as the world's most dangerous country and that the US should aid pro-democracy groups there.
Personal life
Scott is unmarried. He owns an insurance agency and he is also a partner in Pathway Real Estate Group, LLC
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