Four months remain until the November U.S. presidential election, and the Republican vice presidential campaign is heating up. On Wednesday, June 19th, South Carolina Senator Tim Scott will hold a campaign event in Washington D.C., vying to become President Trump’s running mate.
The campaign event is organized by Scott’s political advocacy group, Great Opportunity Policy Inc., as reported by Bloomberg on June 18th. For 58-year-old Scott, this is a critical moment as he inches closer to realizing his 30-year dream of becoming the Vice President of the United States.
Shortly after winning his first election in 1995, Scott told a reporter from the Post and Courier in Charleston, South Carolina, that his goal was to become Vice President.
Since entering the U.S. Senate a decade ago, Scott and his alliance organization have raised over $1.34 billion from donors, including several American billionaires with a combined net worth exceeding $325 billion. Analysts believe Scott’s ability to attract billionaire support may give him an edge in winning Trump’s endorsement. Few politicians in America understand how to win the favor of billionaires like he does.
The more funds Scott raises, the more he can bring to Trump as his running mate. His Political Action Committee (PAC) has announced a $14 million investment to increase support for Trump and the Republican Party among Black and Hispanic voters in the November election.
Scott also heads a non-profit organization, Great Opportunity Policy Inc., which, unlike his PAC, does not disclose the names of donors, making it appealing to conservative donors who prefer their support of Trump discreet.
Currently, Trump is considering several vice presidential candidates, including Ohio Senator JD Vance, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, and Florida Senator Marco Rubio. Nevertheless, last week at an event in Capitol Hill, Trump spent most of his time discussing Scott, whom he hailed as an “incredible” spokesperson.
Scott’s wealthy donors and former colleagues commend his appeal to super-rich donors, citing both his policies and personality traits—especially his exceptional one-on-one communication skills.
American billionaire and founder of Citadel LLC Ken Griffin, among Scott’s donors, has known him for over a decade, praising Scott’s “kindness, empathy, and political beliefs,” expressing confidence in Scott’s ability to lead every American in pursuit of the American dream.
Chicago billionaire Craig Duchossois notes that Scott is “not your typical politician,” emphasizing his directness, eye contact, straightforwardness, amiability, and sincerity in conversations.
Duchossois mentioned that he would vote for Trump but financially support Scott and other “moderate” candidates. These donors align with Scott on key issues, such as supporting school choice in education, Israel’s actions in Gaza, reducing the wealthy’s tax rates, and specific financial sector matters. If he doesn’t become Vice President next year and if the Republicans control the Senate, he is expected to chair the Senate Banking Committee.
During his 2022 Senate re-election campaign, Wall Street raised $43 million for Scott, with top donors including employees from Goldman Sachs, Blackstone Group, and Apollo Global Management. Griffin donated $250,000 to Scott’s Super PAC at the time. Scott won re-election by nearly 26 percentage points and allocated the remaining $22 million towards his presidential campaign.
In May 2023, when Scott officially joined the presidential race, he stated, “They say American opportunity is a myth, American faith is a scam, but the truth of my life dispels their lies.” Larry Ellison, the eighth richest person globally with a net worth of approximately $153 billion who was Scott’s biggest donor, contributed $30 million to his Senate Super PAC.
Last August, a fundraising event in the Hamptons attracted support from former Apollo Global Management CEO Mark Rowan, ex-President of Goldman Sachs Gary Cohn, and billionaire Stan Druckenmiller. Sherman Financial Group’s founder Benjamin Navarro contributed $8 million to Scott. Steve Schwarzman from Blackstone Group and Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon also donated to his campaign.
Scott’s political future hinges on winning Trump’s trust. Trump seems to welcome Scott’s entry into the presidential race and extended him good luck via his Truth Social account, stating that Scott has made significant progress compared to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.