Republican presidential candidate Tim Scott blames ‘radical left’ for struggles of Black Americans

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, a 2024 GOP presidential candidate, took aim Monday at the “sinister” forces in the progressive movement, saying they are hurting the same black communities they claim to be helping.

Mr. Scott said the “radical left” has habitually weaponized race and class for political gain while enacting liberal policies and spreading a socialist ideology that has devastated black communities.

“The progressive philosophy has a monopoly right now, but it is not working,” Mr. Scott said in a speech delivered on the South Side of Chicago, which suffers from high crime, poor schools and poverty. “The streets aren’t safe. The schools aren’t good and for too many kids who look like us, the future is not as bright as it could be. It is not as bright as it should be, and it is not as bright as it needs to be.”

Mr. Scott said progressive leaders in Chicago and other cities across the nation have proven to be more interested in maintaining power than lifting people up.

If they truly cared about the black community, Mr. Scott said, progressives would admit their policies have failed and change course.

“They are choosing their own power over the prosperity of our community,” he said. “They choose power over the safety on our streets. They  choose power over good jobs, great schools, and drug-free neighborhoods.”

“But it gets even worse than that,” Mr. Scott said. “To stop people from noticing the devastation, they try to get people addicted to the drug of victimhood that comes with despair.”

Mr. Scott said the nation must return to a culture that stresses individual responsibility and honors traditional values.

The sole Black candidate in the race, Mr. Scott is still waiting for his moment in the GOP nomination race.

He dove into the campaign in the spring, hoping that his sunny demeanor would resonate with primary voters who are sick and tired of the polarization that has gripped American politics.

But five months later and less than three months out from the Iowa caucuses, Mr. Scott is still looking for a toehold.

The 58-year-old also has been burning through campaign cash. The Scott camp raised $4.6 million over the course of the third quarter and spent almost $12.4 million.

The pro-Scott Trust in the Mission PAC also decided to pull back on millions worth of ads it had reserved for October and November.

Mr. Scott is putting more and more focus on Iowa. He planned to head to Iowa from Chicago for a two-day campaign swing.

Polls show Mr. Scotts is the preferred pick of 6% of voters in Iowa, good enough for a fourth-place tie with businessman Vivek Ramaswamy.

In the first-in-the-nation primary state of New Hampshire, Mr. Scott ranks 6th, with less than 5% of the vote.