Sen. Tim Scott's (R-SC) presidential campaign launch struggled to hit the mark with likely GOP primary voters, a majority of whom didn't hear about the South Carolina Republican in the aftermath of the launch, a new survey showed.
In a Morning Consult poll released Thursday, more than half of the likely Republican electorate, 56%, said they heard "nothing" about Scott after he announced a 2024 bid on May 19, a worrying sign for any candidate attempting to defeat former President Donald Trump for the nomination.
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However, 38% of those surveyed said they heard something positive while only 7% heard something negative about Scott. Scott remains popular among Republicans, with 28% who view him favorably, while 21% view him unfavorably.
Scott's presidential run may have been overshadowed by news of Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) announcing his long-awaited presidential campaign. DeSantis, the second favorite 2024 hopeful among primary voters, faced heavy criticism from Trump in the lead-up to his presidential announcement, in contrast to Scott, whom the former president refrained from excoriating.
After DeSantis's presidential announcement on May 24, only 33% said they heard "nothing" about the governor, 51% heard something positive, and 17% heard something negative. When Trump announced on Nov. 15, 2022, only 16% heard "nothing" about the former president, while 51% heard something positive and 33% heard something negative, a factor that may contribute to Trump fatigue among some Republicans.
Another worrying trend for Scott, 49% of those surveyed "have formed views about him," a factor that makes him less known compared to Trump, DeSantis, and other presidential hopefuls, except for entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, at 39%, and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, at 34%.
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In a matchup against President Joe Biden, Scott performs worse compared to Trump and DeSantis. Biden would receive 44% of the vote, while Scott garners only 35% of support if the election were held today. Yet in a matchup against Trump, both Biden and the former president would receive 43% of voter support. Meanwhile, in a DeSantis vs. Biden matchup, 43% would back the president, and 40% would back the governor.
The survey was conducted May 24-27 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 2 percentage points.