Tagged: U.S. Senate

With the announcement of Congressman Tim Scott filling the soon-to-be vacant seat of U.S. Senator Jim DeMint, South Carolina Republicans gain a continued stalwart of Tea Party conservatism with a history-making selection.

South Carolina Congressman Tim Scott will become the first African-American senator from the state. Governor Nikki Haley chose him Monday to replace Senator Jim DeMint, who is resigning to run a conservative think tank. WFAE’s Michael Tomsic was at the announcement in Columbia. Here’s a transcript of his segment with WFAE’s Mark Rumsey:

Scott is the only black Republican in Congress. The decision announced Monday makes him the South's first black Republican senator since Reconstruction and only the fourth black Republican ever in the U.S. Senate. 

He takes over for Jim DeMint, who announced earlier this month he would forgo the remaining four years of this term to take the helm of The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank. His resignation takes effect Jan. 1.