High-profile Trump surrogate casts ballot for former president in early voting

EXCLUSIVE – Republican Sen. Tim Scott, a top surrogate for former President Trump, made a pitch for Republicans to embrace early voting as he cast his own ballot on Tuesday in his home state of South Carolina.

"Donald Trump is for early voting. I’m for early voting. Every Republican should be for early voting. So let’s just go do it, and that’s what I’m doing today," the senator said in an exclusive national news outlet interview with Fox News Digital before casting his ballot.

Scott emphasized that "we’re going to continue to see more Republicans vote early, vote often, and take advantage of every option on the table to vote."

The former president was a very vocal early voting critic, blaming it in part for what he has repeatedly claimed – without offering proof – was massive fraud that led to his 2020 election defeat at the hands of President Biden.

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Republican Sen. Tim Scott prepares to cast a ballot in early voting at the library in Hanahan, South Carolina, on Oct. 21, 2024. (Great Opportunity PAC)

As he runs to win back the White House this cycle, Trump has sent mixed messages on early voting, even as the Republican National Committee and the GOP have worked hard the past year to encourage Republicans to embrace the practice of casting their ballots before Election Day. 

But in recent weeks, Trump apparently has listened to his advisers as he's implored Republicans to vote early. And while Democrats still have the clear edge when it comes to early voting, Republicans appear to be narrowing the gap.

Asked about whether Trump has helped or hurt the GOP effort, Scott emphasized that "this cycle the president has been crystal clear. He wants every Republican voting every single way they can. We’re going to make sure we win this election, and I’m glad that President Trump and I are on the same page once again."

States vastly expanded early voting – by absentee ballot, voting by mail or early in-person voting – during the 2020 election, due to health concerns amid the coronavirus, the worst pandemic to strike the globe in a century. And four years later, most states have similar rules.

Sen. Tim Scott takes a selfie as he arrives to cast his ballot in Hanahan, South Carolina, on Oct. 21, 2024. (Great Opportunity PAC)

Scott, the only Black Republican in the Senate, last year launched an unsuccessful bid for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.

After ending his White House bid, Scott endorsed Trump in January at a campaign event in New Hampshire, ahead of the state's first-in-the-nation Republican presidential primary. And Scott became a leading surrogate for the former president.

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Scott was also considered to be among a handful of politicians in contention as Trump's running mate, before the former president named Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his junior partner on the GOP national ticket.

Former President Trump and Sen. Tim Scott during a Fox News Channel town hall, Feb. 20, 2024, in Greenville, South Carolina. (AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

The conservative senator, who remains a very popular figure in the GOP, is also known for his fundraising prowess, and has helped raise money for Trump as well as for Republican Senate candidates, as the GOP works to win back the chamber's majority in the 2024 elections.

Asked about his campaign efforts in the final two weeks leading up to Election Day, Scott said he'll be campaigning in key battleground states – including Pennsylvania and Michigan – for Trump and Republican Senate candidates.

"I’ll be talking about President Trump and four more years and why that matters and in addition to that, I’ll be talking about the importance of winning the Senate, and I’m excited about where we are," he emphasized.

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.