Republican U.S. senator Tim Scott has entered the 2024 presidential race, according to a filing with the U.S. election regulator on Friday, in what amounts to a long-shot bet that a message of unity and optimism can still appeal in a party where many voters are hungry for a bare-knuckled fight. …

Only about 2 percent of Republicans plan to vote for him in the primary, according to polling averages, and his national name recognition remains low. Over half of Republicans plan to vote for Donald Trump and about a fifth favor Florida governor Ron DeSantis, who is expected to jump into the race in the coming days.

[I’m not going to be pessimistic about his chances, but I am going to be realistic. Scott’s an engaging politician, well-liked for good reasons, and has a good bio and agenda. However, Republicans generally don’t like to pick presidential candidates out of the Senate in normal cycles, and in today’s more populist temper, that’s an even bigger problem. They’re usually looking for outsiders to the Beltway, either governors or from the private sector (Trump). — Ed]