Tim Scott disappeared at the last GOP debate. His nice-guy routine is up for another test.
Wednesday’s second debate is going to be another test of Scott’s bet that the nice guy won’t finish last — a bet he’s answering for on the campaign trail, too.
SIMI VALLEY, Calif. — Sen. Tim Scott is beloved by congressional colleagues, complimented by voters who see him as “really nice,” and even praised by his rivals — including barb-trader-in-chief Donald Trump.
But being Mr. Nice Guy might be one reason why Scott struggled to break through at last month’s GOP presidential debate. And Wednesday’s second debate is going to be another test of Scott’s bet that the nice guy won’t finish last — a bet he’s answering for on the campaign trail, too.
At recent town halls across Iowa, one voter asked Scott, “What makes you think you’re not too nice to do the job that needs to be done?” Another questioned if Russian President Vladimir Putin “would be afraid of you? Because you seem like a really nice guy.”
Scott first reached for his biography to answer: “My friends were shot, buried or locked up,” he said. “I’m tough enough. I think being tough is having, like, a laser focus, getting things done — not shouting and screaming. The loudest voices are sometimes the quietest on the issues that matter the most.”
The loudest voices also got the most speaking time at the first Republican debate, and Scott seemed absent from the conversation at times, unable to get a word in amid the attacks flying between his opponents. In the month since that debate, Scott’s average showing in national GOP primary polls has dropped 1 percentage point, from 3.6% to 2.5%, according to FiveThirtyEight. He has also scored lower on average in Iowa and New Hampshire polls taken after the debate than before, and he is now facing more competition on the airwaves in both states after advertising consistently through the summer.
Rating: 5