Trump ally Tim Scott, 59, makes history while revealing ‘simple’ goal
Sen. Tim Scott will make history Friday as the longest-serving Black senator ever after being sworn into the new 119th Congress.
The Republican lawmaker from South Carolina and close ally of newly elected President Donald Trump first took office as a U.S. senator in January 2013.
The milestone comes sixty years after black Americans gained the right to vote thanks to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
The longest-serving black senator before Scott was Republican Senator Edward Brooke of Massachusetts, who served two full terms from 1967 to 1979.
“My goal is simple: to make America work for Americans,” Scott said in a statement to DailyMail.com.
“As we begin cleaning up the mess left by the previous administration, I look forward to working with President Trump on his priorities, including paving a path for all Americans to have the necessary tools and resources to achieve their version of the American Dream. he added.
Scott promised to “seize opportunity, strengthen our nation, and make America the shining city on the Hill again.”
Scott, 59, was first appointed by then-Governor Nikki Haley to fill the South Carolina Senate seat in December 2012, replacing retiring Sen. Jim DeMint.
He was then elected in 2014 to serve the remainder of DeMint’s term and was re-elected to his first full term in 2016.
Senator Tim Scott (RS.C.) became the longest-serving black senator in American history with the start of the new Congress
Scott will not only be the longest-serving black senator in American history, but also the first black chairman of a standing committee in the Senate.
He previously served on the Senate Banking Committee during the last Congress, but with Republicans regaining the majority, he will assume the role of chairman.
Scott will also play a crucial role in helping the Republican Party maintain control of the Senate in the 2026 midterm elections, after he was elected leader of the Republican Senate campaign arm in November.
“As we begin the 119th Congress, Senate Republicans are very enthusiastic and focused on achieving results for the American people! “I am pleased to serve as chairman of the Senate Banking Committee and the National Republican Senatorial Committee this Congress,” Scott said.
Republicans have a three-seat Senate majority in the new Congress after flipping four seats in November, but the Senate map will be less friendly in two years.
Scott’s fellow South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham weighed in on the historic achievement on Friday, writing on X that he is “incredibly proud” of him for the “very special milestone.’
“This achievement was made possible because South Carolina voters believe in Tim Scott and his positive, optimistic, conservative message,” Graham wrote. “As we celebrate Tim reaching this important milestone in American politics, I am confident that when it comes to Senator Tim Scott, the best is yet to come!”
Scott married interior designer Mindy Noce in August in Mount Pleasant, SC
Scott speaks at the South Carolina Statehouse after being introduced by then-Governor Nikki Haley (center), who appointed him to fill the seat vacated by retiring Senator Jim DeMint
Scott is sworn in as a U.S. Senator along with his mother Frances
Scott gained national attention in 2023 with a bid for the Republican presidential nomination.
He eventually dropped out of the race in November and became a fierce defender of President-elect Trump as he strode toward the nomination.
Scott was also at one point among the front-runners to serve as Trump’s running mate before picking Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance for the number two spot.
Before being appointed to the Senate, Scott served in the House of Representatives from 2011 to 2013, representing South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, and in the South Carolina House.
Scott takes the stage for a Republican presidential primary debate in September 2023
Scott endorsed Trump for president in January 2024 after ending his own presidential bid in November 2023
Scott is the only black Republican in the Senate.
Across the aisle, Democratic Senator Cory Booker of New Jersey is the only other Black senator besides Scott and Brooke to reach the 11-year mark.
He was sworn in nine months after Scott in October 2013, after winning his state’s special election.
But the new Congress will also have two black senators this year.
For the first time in history, two Black women will serve as U.S. senators at the same time, as Angela Alsobrooks of Maryland and Lisa Blunt Rochester of Delaware are both sworn in.