Sen. Tim Scott’s (R-SC) chief of staff is leaving her role in Scott’s office to start her own consulting firm that will support Scott from the outside, a move that comes amid speculation that Scott is preparing a White House run in 2024.
While Scott has yet to confirm or deny his plans to run for president in 2024, the senator has been active ahead of the November midterm elections, according to Politico. Scott has endorsed a number of candidate and visited more than half a dozen states to campaign for Republicans, including Georgia, North Carolina and Wisconsin.
DeCasper may be departing Scott’s Senate office, but her consulting firm will still help Scott navigate the midterm elections, Politico reported. The firm will also advise a new super PAC connected to Scott.
In a statement, Scott described DeCasper as his “most trusted adviser for the last decade.”
“I know that she will continue to have an outsized impact on expanding our mission to every corner of the country,” the senator added.
Neri Martinez, the former Republican staff director for the Senate Select Committee on Aging, will take over as Scott’s chief of staff.
DeCasper, the first black woman chief of staff in the Senate, said in a statement that “this new chapter will allow me to expand and grow [Scott’s] vision of opportunity and optimism for our country.”
“Now is the time to take on new and exciting challenges that build on the momentum we’ve created over the last decade,” she added.
Last year, Scott delivered the Republican response to President Joe Biden’s first address to Congress. During his speech, Scott accused Biden and the Democrat party of “pulling us further apart.”
“This should be a joyful springtime for our nation. This Administration inherited a tide that had already turned. The coronavirus is on the run. Thanks to Operation Warp Speed and the Trump Administration, our country is flooded with safe and effective vaccines. Thanks to our bipartisan work last year, job openings are rebounding,” Scott said at the time.
“So why do we feel so divided and anxious? A nation with so much cause for hope should not feel so heavy-laden,” he added. “A President who promised to bring us together should not push agendas that tear us apart. The American family deserves better. And we know what better looks like!”
