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Guy Benson: And joining us now is United States Senator Tim Scott of the great state of South Carolina. He is the National Republican Senatorial Committee chairman in this very important election year. Senator, it’s great to have you back on the show.
Sen. Tim Scott: Well, thank you guys. Good to be with you!
Guy Benson: We are two weeks out from this very important midterm election. I have talked quite a lot about the Senate map on this show and individual races. I want to get into some of them with you, but as the NRSC chairman this cycle, as you take inventory of what things are looking like right now on the ground, based on polling and all the information you have, what is the big picture in your mind?
Sen. Tim Scott: The biggest picture is that we find ourselves with 10 competitive races, all within the margin of error, basically speaking. We will be in the majority. We just need our voters to get out and vote.
I’ll tell you guys that the American dream I am living right now would not be possible in any other country than America. So protecting this dream for the next generation means we have to defeat the most dangerous, radical, and weird group of socialists running as Democrats this country has ever seen, and no one is more dangerous than Abdul El-Sayed.
We will be in the majority, but we should darn sure make sure Abdul El-Sayed, Troy Jackson, and James Talarico never step a single foot on the floor of the Senate.
Guy Benson: A lot of that will come down, especially in the redder states, to Republican turnout. If the GOP turns out its base in significant numbers in the states that are sufficiently red overall, that would be curtains for the Democrats. But that’s still an open question about who’s going to turn out, their motivation, and that sort of thing.
On NBC, I referenced this yesterday on the show. Steve Kornacki, who’s a very smart data guy at NBC, looked at their polling numbers, and this is what he found.
Steve Kornacki: We showed you that generic ballot here, but break it down this way: asking folks, “Will you definitely vote in the midterm?” There’s a motivation edge here for Democrats. They lead by 12 on the generic ballot with those who say definitely. That’s about 80% of the folks in the poll.
But among those who say probably or no–and believe it or not, some folks who say no in a poll do end up voting–the Republicans have the advantage with those who are not sure they’re going to be voting right now. So the more Republicans succeed in expanding the electorate there, they might be able to bring that generic ballot down some.
Guy Benson: All right, so the way it broke down on the graphic on the screen, Senator–you might have seen this–among the voters in their poll who told the pollster that they are definitely voting, the Democrats were up by 12 points with that group, which is about 80% of the sample.
But among the other 20% of the sample, those who said they’re probably voting, Republicans had a 16-point lead. And among those who said they’re not going to bother to vote this time, Republicans had a 22-point lead.
So I feel like a very big, decisive factor here might be getting those red-leaning people to actually participate. How does that happen?
Sen. Tim Scott: There’s no doubt that President Trump is our ace of spades. Here’s what he has said: He’s telling Republican voters to vote as if he were on the ballot because his legacy is, his agenda is, and making sure the Supreme Court, if we have another vacancy, has a Republican majority in the Senate is crucial for the long-term health and viability of America.
Therefore, President Trump being on the campaign trail every single day is key to bringing out those Trump voters. That is going to happen.
One of the reasons why I’m so optimistic and, frankly, excited as we’re 14 days before the end of this election is that President Trump is on the campaign trail. We’ll be together tonight in North Carolina, tomorrow in South Carolina, Thursday in Iowa, and Friday in Florida. The man doesn’t sleep.
He knows that the Democrats don’t want a better America. They just want to prosecute and persecute Trump and Trump supporters. You heard it yourself from Senator Slotkin.
Guy Benson: Because you brought up the Supreme Court in that answer, I just want to reference something that I’ve now talked about multiple times here. Senator Sherrod Brown of Ohio, your former colleague, who now wants back into the Senate running as a Democrat and challenging John Husted in a very important race, said sort of nonchalantly on MS NOW the other day that, of course, they won’t be confirming any Trump judges if the Democrats have the majority.
That is very much what he put out there, almost as if it were taken for granted. Of course they’re not going to do that.
The stakes on the judiciary front are enormous, and I think a lot of red-leaning, right-leaning voters need to understand that if the Democrats take the majority, even by one vote in the U.S. Senate, that could empower Chuck Schumer, as majority leader, to shut down every single vote on every nominee President Trump puts forth over the next two years. Those are some pretty dramatic stakes.
Sen. Tim Scott: The only thing I would add, Guy, is an exclamation point because it’s that serious. You have to understand exactly what you have communicated to your listeners. They need to hear you clearly: Chuck Schumer, James Talarico, Abdul El-Sayed, and a whole lot of them will not allow a single judicial appointee for the next two years.
Why? Because they want not just dangerous, radical, and weird people in the Senate. They want them on benches with lifetime appointments. They want them on the Supreme Court.
The takeover of the Democratic Party is nearly complete. Troy Jackson said he would run as a Communist. Guy, a Communist.
So their objective of remaking the America that you and I love, the America that makes you and me possible, would be complete by taking the Senate into their hands. Not only would they persecute and prosecute from the House to the Senate, but you will not see a single judicial appointment until the 2028 election, when they hope to elect the first president who’s a socialist.
Guy Benson: You ran through some of the stops on the schedule here for the president. When you take his last week or so into account as well, I’m looking at states like Texas, Alaska, and Kansas this week. You mentioned South Carolina, Iowa, and Florida.
These are not competitive states, or at least they were not competitive states in 2024. These were all easy, double-digit Trump states.
The fact that he’s going to all of those places and feels the need to go to all those places at least suggests to me that there has to be some concern about a blue wave and even pretty red places being in danger of going blue. Is that the wrong takeaway from looking at his schedule?
Sen. Tim Scott: Well, Guy, I think a better takeaway is to understand that there are only two ways to run if your name is on the ballot: afraid or unopposed.
President Trump always puts 100% into whatever he does. He understands that his name, his legacy, and his agenda are, in fact, the biggest weight on the ballot. Therefore, this midterm is about President Donald J. Trump. He’s out on the campaign trail.
But remember, the reason we won the states you were talking about in 2024 was, in part, because he campaigned in all of those states. He didn’t leave a single stone unturned because he doesn’t believe in taking things for granted. He guarantees it by showing up, showing out, and doing what only President Trump has been able to do in my lifetime as a politician.
Guy Benson: Kansas, Nebraska–you know, resources and time. You guys are pouring resources into states like that. Should Republicans be worried about Kansas?
Sen. Tim Scott: Listen, the president was there last night. He did a great job. Roger Marshall will be fine.
There’s no doubt that we are looking at a very competitive environment. I can’t say that enough: This is a very competitive environment.
But I was talking to Pete Ricketts in Nebraska just a couple of days ago. His polls show him ahead. Why? Because he is the right candidate at the right time, running against someone I would consider a wolf in sheep’s clothing: Dan Osborn.
Guy Benson: Yeah, a crazy temper, right? The leaks on this guy.
Sen. Tim Scott: Exactly. You’ve got it. And listen, you talk about tempers. Mary Peltola in Alaska is another wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Whenever The New York Times comes out and writes negative stories about a liberal, that means she’s from an alternate universe. Her use of the N-word, her characterization of the heads of organizations she doesn’t like anymore, hoping they have botched abortions–this goes on and on with Mary Peltola.
Why? Because she’s lost her voters, because she’s lost her mind.
Guy Benson: I saw that you’re starring in a new ad in your home state of South Carolina. As NRSC chair, you know it’s a red state, of course, and you’ve got the sister of the late Senator Graham running for a full term there.
I know some of the polls have shown things quite close. And yes, I know there have been polls in the past indicating a tight race in South Carolina for Lindsey Graham, for example, and then it just didn’t shake out that way. He won pretty easily.
But she’s new to all of this, right? She’s still trying to find her way. You’ve cut an ad, and the president is coming to South Carolina. Are you concerned about your home state, with some of those polls showing the race in the low single digits?
Sen. Tim Scott: I am not concerned about South Carolina going blue. I am very concerned about Annie Andrews lying to the people of South Carolina.
When you look at AnniesChart.com, you see the radical positions taken by a Democrat who’s trying to remake herself for a conservative state.
She’s changed her positions, she says, on transgender surgery. She’s changed her position on the fact that she stood with the defund-the-police squad. She’s changed her position about the One Big, Beautiful Bill being an ugly bill, which means that she would literally snatch $50 billion out of the pockets of rural hospitals in America.
She would raise taxes on working-class Americans working overtime, senior citizens on Social Security, and people earning tips. She is too radical for South Carolina.
I don’t take anything for granted. When it’s time to win, you run through the tape everywhere in the country, even at home.
Guy Benson: Since I mentioned and invoked Senator Graham’s name, I do have to ask you about President Trump’s recent moves–two of them, really. One involving the purchase of diesel fuel from the Russians, and then these sweeping sanctions-relief maneuvers by the president.
I know there’s bipartisan concern over that. You guys just slapped more sanctions on the Russians. Senator Graham was very passionate about that. What do you think about that decision from the president? Because I look at it and I’m scratching my head.
Sen. Tim Scott: There’s no doubt that the president is sometimes quite creative in his objective of trying to find a way to bring prices down.
Here’s what we know: The best way to keep prices going in the right direction is to win. That is the only thing we are focused on between now and the next 14 days: How do we make sure the American people remember that under Joe Biden, inflation hit 9%? Because of President Trump, we have it heading toward 3%.
Under Joe Biden, prices for gas hit $5 a gallon. We’re going to see our prices, which are too high now, continue to come down again.
We know that President Trump, in contrast to President Biden, has made life more affordable. But we have to tell the whole story, Guy. That’s why we’re out on the campaign trail, criticizing the Democrats and celebrating the lowest child poverty rate in American history right now, historic lows, and incomes going up. More Americans are working today than ever before.
We’ve got a story to tell, and after the election, we can get into the nuances of how. But right now, we’ve got to focus on what we must do: win in 14 days.
Why must we do that? To preserve the America that we love and celebrate, rather than the changing of the country that the Democrats, socialists, and, frankly, communists want for our country.
Guy Benson: On the subject of radicals, I want to ask you about one of them in particular and perhaps the most important Senate race in the entire country: Abdul El-Sayed.
He’s a very significant figure in this campaign, not just in Michigan but across the country. The prospect of him potentially becoming a U.S. senator is something we’ve made a point of emphasis on this show.
One reason I think there’s a decent chance he could lose, even in a blue-leaning year in a purple state where the political winds might be at his back or his party’s back, is that some constituent groups that often vote heavily Democratic are really questioning their support for Abdul El-Sayed. Some have openly shifted toward Mike Rogers, the Republican.
One group is Jewish voters. The other, and I want to ask you about it for obvious reasons, is Black voters. There seems to be hesitancy and distrust toward Abdul El-Sayed among a lot of Black voters in Detroit. We’re seeing that anecdotally, and we might be seeing some of it in the polls. We know that he underperformed in his primary dramatically with Black voters.
Does El-Sayed have a problem there? And is it true that Mike Rogers is putting in sustained, serious work with Black voters in Michigan to try to pick up some of that support, which could prove to be the difference in the race? What’s your analysis as you look at it?
Sen. Tim Scott: Well, Mike Rogers is the real deal, number one, Guy. I’ll tell you, two years ago, when I was on the campaign trail with Mike Rogers, he was already campaigning in inner-city Detroit because he wants every child to have a quality education. He’s been committed to that issue for 20 years, Guy. He wants every single kid to have a quality education.
So this is not a campaign move on Mike Rogers’ part. Here’s a guy who was working every day for poor kids, even poor kids in Detroit who happen to be Black.
I listened to a Black pastor recently who said that Abdul El-Sayed cares more about the West Bank than he does about the west side of Detroit. It’s those kinds of comments that help me understand what’s percolating in some of the inner cities.
The fact that South Carolina Democratic Congressman James Clyburn went and campaigned with Haley Stevens tells me that there is a major problem in the Black community in Michigan with Abdul El-Sayed, or he wouldn’t have gone.
More importantly, what we’re seeing is common sense versus communism. We want more Americans making the right decision, not because of what they look like or what they believe, but because they are enamored with the greatest country on the planet and are willing to protect it.
That means listening to Van Jones, who worked for President Obama and came out and said Abdul El-Sayed is just too far left for Democrats; listening to the pastor who talked about the West Bank versus the west side of Detroit; and recognizing Mike Rogers’ support for quality education for every single child, no matter their race, color, or creed.
Guy Benson: U.S. Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, our guest here on The Guy Benson Show. He is NRSC chairman in this very important election cycle, with the election two weeks from today. Senator Scott, thanks so much.
Sen. Tim Scott: God bless, guys, and hopefully I’ll see you sometime at Hall’s Chophouse in South Carolina.
