Tim Scott wins laughs, and maybe votes, in Meredith

MEREDITH — Before a jam-packed crowd at the Wicwas Lake Grange Friday evening, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott balanced laughter with solemnity to pitch voters on his candidacy for the Republican nomination. In both brief remarks and a longer Q&A, Scott leveraged his legislative experience to explain how he would lead on issues of border security, economic growth and foreign policy. 

To stem the flow of illegal substances and the number of undocumented immigrants entering the U.S. from both the southern and northern borders, Scott proposed completing the border wall, adding military border surveillance and financially hamstringing drug cartels.

“I would make it my focus to crush the cartels by signing the legislation that I sponsored to freeze their assets and their accounts and cut off their money supply,” Scott said. 

To combat China’s power both in the U.S. and abroad, Scott pushed a more aggressive foreign policy disposition and accelerated economic separation. 

“It is not the strength of President Xi [Jinping]; it is the weakness of President [Joe] Biden,” Scott said. “If we brought our jobs home from China and around the world, we could create six-figure incomes for Americans, decoupling our economy from China, saving American lives.”

In response to audience questions, Scott targeted 5% GDP growth through a “Made in America” program as a solution to long-term welfare funding threats. He highlighted his work co-authoring 2017 tax cuts and promised further cuts to major federal departments and pledged to return spending to pre-pandemic, 2019 figures.

Scott presented his leadership strategy by pointing to bills he sponsored, wrote or would sign if elected president as solutions to many of attendees' queries. 

In his hour with voters in Meredith Center, Scott cultivated an air of joviality, frequently drawing laughter from the crowd, that he cut with moments of solemnity.

Each attendee interviewed outside the venue said they made a point of seeing as many candidates as possible. While none were set on their vote, as many favored former President Donald Trump as were choosing from the rest of the field. 

Rita and Paul Van Steensburg have seen a half dozen primary contenders, but haven’t decided who they’ll support. Both said they have reservations about Trump because of how he speaks about others.

“I like his policies,” Paul said. “I don’t like the edge. He denigrates people.” 

By contrast, both found Scott to be “easy” and “down to basics.” 

For Rita, the senator’s affability coupled with his experience had put him next to Nikki Haley in her top two favorite candidates, knocking out Vivek Ramaswamy — the current favorite of Paul.

Like the Van Steensburgs, Marcia M. is a Laconia resident making a point to see as many candidates as possible. Unlike them, Trump is still who she said she’d vote for if the primary election were tomorrow.

Marcia, after each of the stops she’d seen, was also impressed by Ramaswamy, and directly compared him to Trump. She liked that Scott put immigration issues at the forefront, but the outsider status combined with strength of personality she saw in Trump and Ramaswamy kept them at the top of her list. 

“I still have Trump in my mind, because I love what he accomplished. But I do really like Vivek. The more I listen to him, the more I like him,” she said. “He’s quick on his feet.” 

With his schedule burdened by legal battles, Marcia worried about Trump’s primary chances but was confident that he would win in a rematch against Biden.

Though Meredith’s Don Ewing approved of Scott’s “conservative credentials” and found him “very funny, very friendly and personable,” he didn’t describe Scott as someone likely to pull his favor away from Trump.

“I think he'd be a president that we'd be proud of — and I think that's great — but how many of the things he talked about tonight did he get done? I don't know enough to say that he's got that fight in him,” Ewing said. “I would have more faith in him as Senate majority leader.”

Because he looks for an aggressive executive and a “fighter,” Ewing still favors, but isn’t set on, Trump after seeing each of the candidates who’ve stopped in the Lakes Region.

“He could still lose my vote,” Ewing said. “If he keeps doing many of the things he seems to like to do, he will lose it.” His second choice, he said, would likely be Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Along with former Vice President Mike Pence, Scott was the second Republican primary candidate hosted by the Grange. The crowd to see Scott filled seats and standing room, spilling out through the entryway and onto the building’s porch — far exceeding, Grange hosts said, the showing for Pence.