For about 24 hours this week, U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina was the talk of American politics after he delivered an old-fashioned stemwinder of a speech at President Donald Trump’s made-for-streaming midterm GOP convention in Dallas.
“This is a battle for the heart of our nation — I said, the heart of our nation! The Democrats’ extreme candidates won’t rip that heart out of our chests!” Scott shouted, pantomiming the act of ripping his own heart out. “They hate our culture. They hate what it means to be American. Hear me, Dallas. Not! On! Our! Watch! We will not back down!”
But the retro, tent-revival tone was strongest when Scott sought to contrast Democrats’ faith with that of Republicans’.
“We know who God is!” he said, his voice booming. “We’re talking about Jeeeesus!”
The speech, which some news outlets called “high energy” and others “a tirade,” was reminiscent of a pre-television political style that largely went out of fashion when speakers no longer had to wave their arms and raise their voices to be understood at the back of a large hall.
Perhaps predictably, Scott’s performance drew mixed reviews on social media, with Republican-affiliated accounts mostly praising its stirring impact in the room and Democratic supporters mocking what they called the “SNL cold open” quality of the moment on video.
Playing it right down the middle was former GOP U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz, who observed, either dryly or just objectively, on X: “Tim Scott is not ‘low-keying it.’”
But regardless of any debates over style, the speech had real stakes for Scott, who’s serving this year as chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, the campaign arm charged with protecting the GOP’s narrow majority in the upper chamber.
And despite recent state polls showing that may be a tall order, with Democrats competitive or ahead in several states Republicans can typically rely on, Scott was at his most animated when promising a GOP Senate win in November.
“We will not back down! We will not grow weary!” he roared at the crowd. “We will keep the majority!”
In other recent news
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A closer look at McMaster’s differences with Trump. Despite his overall support for President Donald Trump, S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster has spent much of his tenure taking stances on the environment that are either at odds with the Republican president or not on Trump’s radar.
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Sumter gets ready for coming circus of April Murdaugh retrial. A look at how Sumter County is getting ready for the April retrial of Alex Murdaugh on double murder charges. It likely will draw global attention and frenzied headlines.
Early data shows S.C. traffic deaths are down. Preliminary data from the South Carolina Department of Public Safety shows fewer traffic deaths in the state this year compared to last year. 590 people have been killed as of Sept. 3, down 56 from 2025.
Studies show lots of S.C. college graduates leave state. Over the past decade and a half, more than 60% of South Carolina college graduates went to work in the Palmetto State in the year after receiving their diploma. But by the third year, that number drops 10 percentage points.
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