Republican presidential candidate Tim Scott was understood to be a single man, which for reasons explicit and otherwise harms his ability to raise funds from conservative donors. He presented his long-term girlfriend to the media last night, an unexpected and attention-grabbing Hail Mary for a campaign so far going nowhere.
Mr. Scott, the affable yet awkward South Carolina lawmaker, has been pressed during his campaign with questions about his unmarried status, as he has focused on his faith and his commitment to conservative family values. He has repeatedly given vague answers about being in a relationship with a woman … The moment grabbed more attention than anything Mr. Scott said during the debate did, an unfortunate metaphor for his presidential run. Even the pictures taken at his debate lectern with his girlfriend had the feel of being the final souvenirs from a stalled campaign.
A peculiar politically-bound corollary to the Streisand Effect: the response on right-wing social media appears to be mostly smirking homophobia, though at this point I doubt Twitter is particularly representative even of them. General interest in Scott is bound up entirely in the desire to find someone other than Trump, Ron DeSantis having made an awkward fool of himself.
