Professional Career: Partner, real estate firm; owner, Tim Scott Allstate.
Political Career: Charleston Cnty. Cncl., 1995-2008, chmn., 2007-08; SC House, 2008-10; U.S. House, 2010-13.
Ethnicity: Black/African American
Religion: Christian
Family: Single
The new congressman from South Carolina’s 1st District is Tim Scott, elected in 2010 to succeed the retiring GOP Rep. Henry Brown. Scott is one of two African-American Republicans in Congress and is a freshman-class representative to the GOP leadership. He earlier made history as the first black Republican elected to the South Carolina Legislature since Reconstruction. Read More
The new congressman from South Carolina’s 1st District is Tim Scott, elected in 2010 to succeed the retiring GOP Rep. Henry Brown. Scott is one of two African-American Republicans in Congress and is a freshman-class representative to the GOP leadership. He earlier made history as the first black Republican elected to the South Carolina Legislature since Reconstruction.
Scott and his siblings were raised by a single mother who worked 16-hour days as a nurse’s assistant. Scott got his first job at age 13. He was on the verge of flunking out of high school when he met the man who he says changed his life—John Moniz, the owner of the fast-food restaurant next to the movie theater where Scott worked, and where he would regularly buy french fries, the only food he could afford. Moniz, who considered himself a born-again Christian, became a father figure for Scott, teaching him the value of personal discipline and hard work, according to newspaper accounts of Scott’s life. Scott finished high school and went on to earn a partial football scholarship to Presbyterian College. He eventually transferred to Charleston Southern University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science.
Scott ran an insurance company and owned part of a real-estate agency. His first elected office was a seat on the Charleston County Council in 1995. Just after his election, he received a handwritten note of congratulations from then-Sen. Strom Thurmond, R-S.C., who had run for president on a pro-segregation platform in 1948. Thurmond’s past didn’t stop Scott from accepting the job as statewide co-chairman of the now-deceased Thurmond’s final senatorial campaign in 1996. Asked how an African-American could help Thurmond, Scott told The New York Times, “The Strom Thurmond I knew had nothing to do with that,” and noted that Thurmond’s views on race had evolved. Scott also said that Thurmond taught him the value of constituent service.
In the GOP primary, Scott faced opposition from candidates with better name recognition, including Carroll Campbell III, son of former South Carolina Gov. Carroll Campbell Jr.; and Paul Thurmond, the former senator’s son. But Scott got help from national Republican organizations. He came in first in the primary and Thurmond took second, but neither got the necessary 50% to avoid a runoff. There were few differences between the two, although Thurmond did not share Scott’s willingness to abide by term limits and to swear off earmarked spending. Scott claimed that in his 15 years in elected office, he has never voted for a tax increase. His conservative credentials won him praise from prominent Republicans such as former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia. In the runoff election, Scott defeated Thurmond, 68% to 32%. In the general election, he easily beat Democrat Ben Frasier, a retired federal worker, 65% to 29%. His race appeared to be a non-issue for the district’s voters, about 70% of whom are white.
Scott opposes many of President Barack Obama’s major initiatives that are backed by the liberal Congressional Black Caucus. Scott favors repeal of the health care overhaul and opposes a proposed Democratic bill to limit carbon emissions. He says he will abstain from earmarking funds for his district. Scott supports school choice and government-funded tuition vouchers, and he opposes same-sex marriage. Scott has said he will serve no more than four terms. He has a brother in the Air Force and one in the Army, and takes a strong interest in military issues.
National Journal’s rating system is an objective method of analyzing voting. The liberal score means that the lawmaker’s votes were more liberal than that percentage of his colleagues’ votes. The conservative score means his votes were more conservative than that percentage of his colleagues’ votes. The composite score is an average of a lawmaker’s six issue-based scores. See all NJ Voting
More Liberal
More Conservative
2012
2011
Economic
3
(L) : 96 (C)
30
(L) : 66 (C)
Social
21
(L) : 75 (C)
(L) : 83 (C)
Foreign
35
(L) : 59 (C)
16
(L) : 75 (C)
Composite
21.5
(L) : 78.5 (C)
20.3
(L) : 79.7 (C)
Interest Group Ratings
The vote ratings by 10 special interest groups provide insight into a lawmaker’s general ideology and the degree to which he or she agrees with the group’s point of view. Some organizations provide just one combined rating for 2009 and 2010, the two sessions of the 111th Congress. About the interest groups.
The first Almanac of American Politics was published in 1971, and it hasn’t missed an election since.
The nation’s most authoritative source of information about members of Congress, their districts,
the governors and the states is published in print form after the national elections every two years by the National Journal Group in Washington D.C. Read More
The first Almanac of American Politics was published in 1971, and it hasn’t missed an election since.
The nation’s most authoritative source of information about members of Congress, their districts,
the governors and the states is published in print form after the national elections every two years by the National Journal Group in Washington D.C.
The Web version of the Almanac contains all of the information from the 2012 edition of the book,
but the data is also continually revised by National Journal’s respected team of editors and reporters, which means that it's never out-of-date.
The Web site is organized according to people, districts and states, similar to the book. By using the Search function, you can access:
The most recent profile of a person, along with biographical data and voting behavior.
A detailed description of a congressional district, along with several tables of demographic data, the district's 2008 presidential results and its current Cook rating.
A history and analysis of the politics of a state, written by founding Almanac author and television commentator Michael Barone.
The state pages also contain presidential election results, legislature party breakdowns, and analyses of demographic shifts that could affect redistricting in 2012.
If you have ideas for future versions to better serve your needs, email editor Jackie Koszczuk:
thealmanac@nationaljournal.com
Buy the Almanac 2012
2012 Almanac of American Politics
The 2012 Almanac remains the gold standard of accessible political information, relied on by everyone in American politics.
Chris Christie Bombastic Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J. sometimes goes looking for controversy, but this week controversy found him. Following the death of New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg, Christie was tasked with appointing a replacement and calling for a special Senate election. His decision to schedule the special election in October 2013—two weeks before Christie’s own gubernatorial reelection—has left both Republicans and Democrats unhappy.
Chris Christie Bombastic Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J. sometimes goes looking for controversy, but this week controversy found him. Following the death of New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg, Christie was tasked with appointing a replacement and calling for a special Senate election. His decision to schedule the special election in October 2013—two weeks before Christie’s own gubernatorial reelection—has left both Republicans and Democrats unhappy.