Tim Scott Shocks Host by Ending 2024 Run Live on Air

Fox News host Trey Gowdy was left visibly shocked after Republican Senator Tim Scott said he was no longer running in the 2024 presidential race.

The South Carolina Senator, who had hoped to become the first African American to secure the Republican nomination, announced in an interview with the host of Sunday Night in America that he was suspending his campaign.

"When I go back to Iowa it will not be as a presidential candidate," he said. "I am suspending my campaign.

"I think the voters, who are the most remarkable people on the planet, have been really clear that they're telling me: 'Not now Tim.'"

He added: "I'm going to respect the voters and I'm going to hold on and keep working really hard and look forward to another opportunity."

Scott has been a senator since 2013 and launched his White House bid in May. He had used his personal story as the child of a single mother to make an argument for America's greatness, accusing Joe Biden and other Democrats of "attacking every rung of the ladder that helped me climb."

"We live in the land where it is absolutely possible for a kid raised in poverty in a single-parent household in a small apartment to one day serve in the people's house and maybe even the White House," Scott said as he announced his candidacy in May. "This is the greatest country on God's green Earth."

He campaigned on his message of restoring "Christian conservative values," and quoted from the Bible during interviews. When he entered the race he had $21 million in donations.

But Scott had just 4 percent of voters' support, according to a recent CBS News/YouGov poll, putting him fifth in the Republican race.

Newsweek has contacted Scott by email to comment on this story.

The fourth Republican television debate, scheduled to take place on 6 December, requires candidates to have received 6 percent of the vote in two national polls, or 6 percent in two early-voting states to qualify. They must also have received donations from 80,000 different voters.

After Scott said he was pulling out of the race, a surprised Gowdy said: "You have plenty of money you have the highest approval numbers of any candidate that is running and you're a couple states away of coming to a state where you are beloved and you are suspending your presidential campaign?"

"I am indeed suspending the campaign but I am going to remain as committed to making the sure that this country chooses the right person by enjoying the journey of just helping people throughout South Carolina and throughout our country," Scott replied.

Scott is the second major Republican figure to drop out of the 2024 primary race, following Mike Pence's decision to suspend his campaign on 28 October.

The remaining candidates are Donald Trump, who is the front-runner in the race with the support of around 57 percent of Republican voters, Ron DeSantis, who is second with 14 percent, Nikki Haley who is on 9 percent of the vote and Vivek Ramaswamy who is on 5 percent.

Scott has not endorsed any of the remaining candidates, and appeared to rule out running for vice-president.