Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) almost always elevated both the tone and the substance of the race for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination. He left the campaign in an equally classy, and timely, manner.

Thematically, Scott deserves both praise and thanks for so assiduously reminding his audiences that the United States is not just powerful but also fundamentally good. He also correctly identified some of the key things that make it good: freedom, personal responsibility, and an openness to the workings of faith in the public square. Scott is habitually and sincerely aspirational and optimistic , and he is both humble enough and wise enough to express gratitude for blessings both personal and societal.

More than any other public figure today, perhaps more than any other since Ronald Reagan, Scott gives testimony to American virtue against all today’s institutions and activists who insist the United States is a moral blight on the universe. Scott is right to do so, and we can hope he can find a wider audience among younger people who seem oblivious to our blessings .

Scott also offered a good record on taxes, on banking , and on conservative solutions for poverty. And he offered plenty of solid substance on the campaign trail, including mostly superb recent speeches on race and on defense and foreign policy. And he was quick to inject real substance, on the rare occasions when the format allowed, into the three presidential debates. He was particularly effective in rebuking NBC’s Lester Holt’s lack of understanding of economics by explaining that prices, especially for relatively price-volatile commodities such as gasoline, can fluctuate fairly rapidly on expectations of changes in policies or market conditions rather than waiting for those policies or conditions actually to be effectuated.

Polls consistently showed Scott with among the best basic “likeability” scores in the Republican field and among the lowest negatives, and he had done a good job with grassroots campaigning in the early caucus state of Iowa. Alas, his style did not work as well in the first two debate formats as did those of other candidates, so he lost political momentum irretrievably.

Scott deserves plaudits not just for recognizing political reality, especially when the controversial former President Donald Trump leads the field in polling but has yet to be forced into a head-on clash. For going the next step of acting according to that reality, so as to give the public a cleaner, clearer choice going forward, he well served the public by withdrawing.

Scott’s exit statement was the most gracious imaginable.

“Traveling this country, meeting people, has been one of the most fantastic experiences of my entire life,” he said. “I love America more today than [when he entered the race.] … I think the voters, who are the most remarkable people on the planet, have been really clear that they're telling me, ‘Not now, Tim.’”

And: “I'll say without any question, the voters are smart, they're savvy, and I think what our country is going through right now is a very challenging time. And our goal should be to unite this country and not take advantage of the divisions of this country. And the more time we spend talking about the goodness of America, the more time we spend talking about the future of this America, the more time we spend talking about having faith in God, faith in each other, and faith in our future, the better off we will be as Americans.”

Not just South Carolina but the whole country is fortunate to have Tim Scott in the Senate. He surely will continue to serve this nation well.