U.S. Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, a Republican candidate for president, will make a pit stop on the campaign trail to participate in a discussion at the University of Mississippi.
The event, originally scheduled for a date in 2022, has been rescheduled multiple times. The discussion is finally slated to take place on Friday, Oct. 27, at the Sandy and John Black Pavillion.
Scott will be hosted by the Declaration of Independence Center for the Study of American Freedom, a university center whose mission is to foster the academic exploration of the principles of American freedom. Scott will be welcomed by UM Chancellor Glenn Boyce and U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss. The event, which will take a Q&A/discussion format, will be moderated by Steven Skultelty.
Skultety, professor of philosophy and chair of the department of philosophy at UM, is director of the Declaration of Independence Center.
In moderating the event, he hopes to bring about meaningful discussion concerning America and American freedom with the United States senator.
“I think the big message that will come out of the event is that freedom is something worth thinking about,” Skultety said. “I think that we forget to ponder what a deep and important subject it is, so I’d like to remind people why freedom deserves to be studied and openly celebrated.”
Scott has been in the Senate since 2013. On May 22, he announced his intention to compete for the Republican presidential nomination, joining a list of other Republican presidential hopefuls that includes Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former Vice President Mike Pence, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
Scott is South Carolina’s first Black senator, and was the first Black U.S. senator from the South to have been elected since the 19th century. As a presidential candidate, Scott has emphasized faith in America and the importance of American values.
“Joe Biden and the radical left are attacking every rung of the ladder that helped me climb. And that is why I am announcing today that I am running for president of the United States of America,” Scott said as he launched his presidential bid in May. “They’re attacking our American values, our schools, our economy, our security. But not on my watch. I cannot stand by while this is done to America. She has done too much for me.”
The discussion is not intended to be political — instead, the event will focus on democracy, faith in America and themes from the senator’s book, “America, a Redemption Story: Choosing Hope, Creating Unity.”
The event will begin at 3:30 p.m. and is free and open to the public.
