Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) officially ended his Republican presidential campaign on Sunday night after failing to gain traction with GOP primary voters.
Scott made the announcement during an interview with former Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) on Fox News.
“When I go back to Iowa, it will not be as a presidential candidate,” Scott said. “I am suspending my campaign. 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.'”
“Romans 8:28 is such an important scripture, it says that ‘all things work together for good for those who love God and are called according to His purpose,'” Scott said. “I think the message is clear for me right now, I am indeed suspending the campaign.”
He said that he has no plans to endorse any of the other Republican candidates.
“I’m going to recommend that the voters study each candidate and their candidacies and frankly their past and make the best decision for the future of the country,” Scott said. “The best way for me to be helpful is to not weigh in on who they should endorse.”
He suggested that he does have political ambitions moving forward and could run again for president again in the future.
Gowdy was shocked by the announcement, as was Scott’s campaign staff.
“A senior staffer tells me on the condition of anonymity that this is incredibly frustrating for staffers,” said Associated Press reporter Meg Kinnard. “A large portion of the SC team had been sent to Iowa in the last month – and now they have to find a way to get them back tomorrow. The staffer added they had been operating as though he still planned to win, and were blindsided by Tim Scott’s announcement on Fox News.”
Multiple Republican candidates have dropped out in recent weeks, including former Vice President Mike Pence, former Rep. Will Hurd (R-TX), Miami Mayor Francis Suarez, and several lesser-known candidates.
There have been increasing calls in recent days for North Dakota Governor Burgum and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson to drop since neither qualified for the most recent Republican presidential debate.
This report has been updated to include additional information.