WASHINGTON • Republican Sen. Tim Scott launched a presidential exploratory committee on Wednesday, taking a step toward challenging former President Donald Trump for the party’s nomination in 2024.

As the only Black Republican in the Senate, Scott has frequently cited his experience as the impoverished child of a single mother as proof of America’s promise. He has sought to focus on his ability “to disrupt the narrative” of race, while criticizing President Joe Biden and other Democrats on crime, inflation and other issues.

“This fight is personal. I want every American to have the same opportunities I had,” Scott said in a Twitter post announcing his plan, adding in a video: “This is personal to me. I will never back down in defense of the conservative values that make America exceptional.”

Scott, 57, often stresses the need for political unity and strikes an upbeat tone, in contrast with many other declared or prospective Republican candidates, who have portrayed the United States as a once-great nation in deep decline.

His announcement video was filmed at Fort Sumter off Charleston, S.C., where the state militia in 1861 attacked federal troops, starting the Civil War, in which South Carolina and other Southern states fought to defend slavery.

Scott called for the United States to once again overcome its deep political divisions. “America’s soul was put to the test,” he said. “And we prevailed.”

An exploratory committee will allow Scott to raise his national profile and continue fundraising with fewer regulatory limitations than a formal campaign.

The senator on Wednesday will visit Iowa, the lead-off state in the Republican presidential nominating process, before heading to New Hampshire on Thursday and South Carolina on Friday. On Saturday, he will give donors and prominent supporters a “political update,” according to an invitation seen by Reuters.

Scott has taken a leading role on police reform efforts and has spoken frequently on racial issues. He often called out Trump over racially charged comments during his presidency and blocked several of Trump’s judicial nominees for such reasons while also accusing Democrats of exploiting racial tensions for partisan gain.

Scott has described being a victim of racial prejudice but has insisted, as he put it in a 2021 speech, that “America is not a racist country.”

With about 2% support in national polls, Scott has his work cut out for him if he decides to formally launch a campaign. Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has not declared a bid but is expected to do so, are the two front-runners by a significant margin.

Scott could benefit from the political calendar because South Carolina is historically the third state to host a Republican nominating contest.

But he will have to compete with another candidate from his home state: Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador who announced her own White House bid in February.

Trump held a campaign event in the state in January to showcase his support there, while DeSantis is due in South Carolina later this month.

Scott has demonstrated an ability to win the votes of white conservatives who constitute the majority of the Republican electorate.

As a Black conservative, he is a rarity in a country where politics are sharply divided along racial lines. Some 92% of Black voters backed Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential election, while 55% of white voters backed Trump.

The son of a single mother, Scott says he struggled in school until the owner of a fast-food franchise gave him his first job at age 13 and encouraged him to work and study.

Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) arrives at the Senate floor on Capitol Hill in Washington in March.

Reuters