Republican senator from South Carolina Tim Scott. (Photo: Win McNamee / Getty Images) The Republican senator from South Carolina has tapped Targeted Victory, a consultancy, to aid the campaign’s fundraising, and brought on board three advisers: Jon Downs, Trent Wisecup and Annie Kelly Kuhle from FP1 Strategies. That firm will serve as the campaign’s political advertising firm, the person familiar said.
The hires bring a number of experienced political aides, many with presidential campaign experience, to challenge former President Donald Trump, who polls show holds a sizeable lead over the emerging GOP field. Scott is expected to make his presidential bid announcement on May 22 in his home state.
Downs, the founding and managing partner of FP1 Strategies, will head Scott’s media operations. Downs started his career working on President George W Bush’s 2000 campaign.
Wisecup was strategy director on former Florida Governor Jeb Bush’s presidential bid, while Kuhle was Iowa director on that campaign and is also a former regional political director for both the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee.
Targeted Victory will serve as the fundraising operation for Scott’s campaign. It was co-founded by Zac Moffatt, who was digital director of Mitt Romney’s 2012 presidential bid. Targeted Victory says it’s helped raise $1.5-billion for campaigns and other clients including political committees, nonprofits and corporations since its launch.
Scott will join a Republican field that already includes Trump, fellow South Carolinian and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who polls show is running second to Trump, is widely expected to jump into the race sometime in early June.
The only Black Republican US senator currently in the chamber, Scott (57) has visited early GOP primary states such as Iowa and New Hampshire, and hosted a donor summit in early voting South Carolina. Scott has served in the Senate since 2013.