Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina on Monday formally introduced he’s operating for president in 2024, placing his sizeable marketing campaign struggle chest and optimistic message to the check in a Republican major race that has to date been former President Donald Trump’s to lose.

Scott, the Senate’s solely Black Republican, in an announcement speech in North Charleston balanced his religion and his household’s story with assaults on Democratic President Joe Biden’s file.

“I’m residing proof that America is the land of alternative, not a land of oppression,” Scott mentioned in ready remarks.

“Joe Biden and the unconventional left are attacking each rung of the ladder that helped me climb,” he mentioned, “and that’s the reason I’m saying at the moment that I’m operating for President of the US of America!”

Scott, 57, faces an uphill battle: Polls of the potential major discipline present him trailing many different presidential contenders, together with fellow South Carolina Republican Nikki Haley, who entered the race in February. Trump has simply led the pack since launching his marketing campaign final yr, with Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis constantly rating as the highest different.

However Scott enters the race with a number of key weapons in his political arsenal.

Scott is well-liked amongst his friends, and he’s poised to leap within the race on a springboard of high-profile endorsements. Sen. Mike Rounds, R-S.D., final week delivered the primary non-Trump endorsement of the 2024 cycle when he backed Scott’s impending run. Sen. John Thune, the No. 2 Senate Republican and the opposite senator from South Dakota, can be endorsing Scott, NBC Information and different shops reported Sunday.

Scott additionally holds a monetary benefit over lots of his opponents: His campaign-in-waiting had almost $22 million in money readily available on the finish of March. The senator is already placing that that cash to make use of with a $6 million advert purchase for TV and radio spots in Iowa and New Hampshire. These advertisements are set to begin airing Wednesday, coinciding with Scott’s journey to these two states for his first main journey as a declared presidential candidate.

Scott’s political presence and messaging, which champions themes of unity and optimism, additionally stands in stark distinction to the strident and polarizing rhetorical strategy being practiced by a lot of the remainder of the Republican discipline. The primary GOP major debate is slated for August.

The long-expected marketing campaign kickoff got here three days after Scott filed paperwork with the Federal Election Fee designating a principal committee for a presidential bid. He had launched an exploratory committee for a White Home bid final month and has made frequent journeys to key major states.

DeSantis is anticipated to declare his candidacy later this week. Trump has handled the Florida governor as his prime major rival, nearly ignoring the remainder of the GOP discipline as he pummels his former ally with assaults.

That tactic could also be paying off within the brief time period, as current polls present DeSantis sliding whereas Trump widens his lead. However the major stays in its early phases, with extra opponents, together with former Vice President Mike Pence, anticipated to affix within the coming weeks.

Trump additionally faces a number of main authorized points. The previous president pleaded not responsible final month to costs that he falsified enterprise data in relation to hush cash funds made earlier than the 2016 election, a battle that’s simply starting to unfold. He additionally faces vital further publicity from an election interference probe by the Fulton County district legal professional and federal particular counsel investigations, amongst different threats.