Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), Donald Trump’s onetime rival in the 2024 presidential race, will announce Friday he is endorsing the former president for the Republican nomination.
Scott, who dropped out of the race Nov. 12 and vowed at the time he would not endorse another candidate, is expected to make his backing official at a Trump campaign rally in New Hampshire, according to multiple reports.
The decision by Scott to endorse Trump ahead of the Jan. 23 New Hampshire primary is a blow to Scott’s fellow South Carolinian, former Palmetto State governor Nikki Haley — who appointed Scott in December 2012 to the Senate seat he has since won twice of his own accord.
Haley, 51, is Trump’s nearest challenger in New Hampshire, and the consensus among political observers is that she must win the primary to deny the 45th president a cakewalk to the Republican nomination in Milwaukee later this year.
Since Scott exited the race, the Trump campaign had mounted a concerted effort to win his support.
The 58-year-old’s endorsement comes four days after Trump, 77, dominated the Iowa Republican caucus, beating Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis by nearly 30 percentage points with Haley coming in third.
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