Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) filed with the Federal Election Commission to run for president after having launched an exploratory committee in April. He’s the sixth notable Republican primary candidate, with a seventh — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — expected to launch his campaign next week.
Scott joins former President Trump, former U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley, former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and conservative radio show host Larry Elder in the primary.
Haley, like Scott, is a South Carolinian; she was governor of the state before serving as ambassador in the Trump administration.
Scott’s fellow U.S. senator from South Carolina, Sen. Lindsey Graham, endorsed Trump, as did a few House members from the state. Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) is backing Haley.
Earlier this week, before filing his candidacy, Scott picked up Sen. Mike Rounds‘s (R-S.D.) endorsement. Rounds is the first Republican senator to endorse someone besides Trump.
While the majority of congressional endorsements have gone to Trump, many Republicans have stayed on the sidelines so far.
DeSantis is expected to file paperwork next week, Max Greenwood reported. The governor already has some House members behind him. DeSantis is consistently polling second behind Trump, who consistently has a large lead.
Along with official campaign launches, something to look ahead toward in the budding GOP primary is the first debate, set for August.
Read more about DeSantis’s expected campaign launch here.