Why is Tim Scott dropping out of the 2024 Presidential bid? Reasons explored as South Carolina senator suspends campaign after 3rd GOP debate

Tim Scott has halted his presidential ambitions. On Sunday night, November 12, the South Carolina Senator announced that he would be effectively suspending his 2024 election campaign. Tim shockingly announced his departure from the GOP frontrunner chase during an appearance on Fox News' Sunday Night In America with Trey Gowdy.

Tim Scott told his friend, Trey Gowdy, that he felt like his voters were telling him, "Not now, Tim". Scott's exit can be attributed to many reasons, including a failure of his optimistic message to resonate among voters, funding and donor problems, a rather forgettable performance in all three debates, and Donald Trump's seemingly unsurmountable lead in the primaries.

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Tim Scott steps down from 2024 GOP primary race

The November 12 segment of Sunday Night in America took everyone by surprise, including host and former South Carolina congressman Trey Gowdy. GOP hopeful Tim Scott joined Gowdy, a friend of his, to seemingly discuss his campaign trail. There are barely 2 months left for the Iowa caucuses.

Trey asked Scott when he was going to get back on the trail. Scott replied by advising every single American who wanted to love their country more to run for president. He detailed the great experiences he's had on the campaign trail before suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere stating:

"When I go back to Iowa, it will not be as a presidential candidate. I am suspending my campaign."

He added:

"I think the voters, who are the most remarkable people on the planet, have been really clear that they’re telling me: not now Tim."

He clarified that this does not mean "no" but simply "not now". Trey Gowdy could not believe what he had just heard and did multiple double takes, telling Tim about all the positive aspects of his campaign, including his approval ratings and State of the Union response. A smiling Tim confirmed his decision once again.

Scott's stepping down comes amidst the significant lead held by Donald Trump in the primary polls, despite not appearing for any debates. The rest of the candidates are barely able to make any dent in Trump's numers. An NBC poll conducted in October revealed that Trump had the support of 43% of caucusgoers in Iowa, the first caucus state.

The second position was shared by DeSantis and Nikki Haley with 16% each, while Scott turned up in fourth place with only 5%. This is despite receiving $30 million in donations with the help of an aligned Super PAC and spending around $5 million on Iowa alone.

This initially gave him a boost, but in October, the donations dwindled as the Super PAC cut the Tim Scott campaign's ad money for the fall months, citing the electorate being unshakably locked in by Donald Trump.

Tim Scott also did not rake in any memorable performances in any of the three GOP debates; he barely even qualified for the third debate. He never roused any rabble and always stuck to his familiar points. He did not particularly attack Donald Trump, and Trump never really attacked him; in fact, he approves of Scott.

Voters maintained a sheer indifference towards Scott. This was seen in a Washington Post poll, which revealed that only 7% felt like he won the third debate, the lowest among all five candidates, and the same percentage felt like he was the worst, the second lowest among all five candidates.

Tim Scott has never faced the same amount of backlash as the people leading him in the race but has also not faced the same level of backing. The New York Times reported that his brand of "sunny optimism" simply could not go against the GOP's current theme of combativeness, spearheaded by Trump himself.

During his Trey Gowdy interview, Tim Scott said that he would not provide any endorsement to his colleagues and asked the people to study each candidate to make their decision. He also confirmed that he was not going to be anyone's running mate, as being VP was never on his "to-do list".

The last time Scott's campaign was in the news was when the former GOP presidential hopeful finally revealed his girlfriend after the third GOP debate. His girlfriend reveal ended up getting more attention than anything he said in the debate, which according to The Washington Post was lapped up by Nikki Haley. Some people did not even believe that the woman was actually his girlfriend.