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Senator Tim Scott, Chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, joins Adam Goodman on 13th and Park for a wide-ranging conversation on the 2026 midterm landscape, the Republican Senate majority, and the personal journey that shaped one of Washington's most optimistic voices. Recorded at Ballard Studios in the nation's capital, the conversation opens with a reflection on Scott's landmark 2010 primary victory over Paul Thurmond, son of Strom Thurmond, a moment Scott describes as proof that hearts in the Deep South have genuinely changed and that voters in the 1st Congressional District cared more about values than what a candidate looks like.
Scott traces his path from growing up in poverty in North Charleston, failing four subjects as a high school freshman, and hitting a light switch that didn't work because the family couldn't pay the bill, to finding a mentor at a Chick-fil-A franchise who taught him unconditional acceptance and the discipline to hold on through hard times. He frames that experience through what he calls grit and grace, two lessons passed down by his grandfather and his mother, and connects them directly to his broader message that hope in America is not empty, and that perseverance pays off.
On the political battlefield, Scott lays out his theory for why Republicans can break the historical pattern of losing Senate seats in a first-term midterm. He highlights candidate recruitment as a top priority, pointing to Michelle Tafoya in Minnesota, Johnson Nunu in New Hampshire, and Mike Rogers in Michigan as authentic fits for their states. He argues that President Trump is effectively on the ballot even without his name on it, and that Republican engagement on affordability, tax cuts, and border security gives the party a real message to run on.
Scott identifies Maine as the bellwether race of the cycle, backing incumbent Susan Collins against a Democratic challenger he describes in blunt terms, and singles out Mike Rogers in Michigan as a key pickup opportunity. He closes with a direct-to-camera argument: Republicans delivered on affordability, reduced taxes for 97 percent of Americans, and closed the border, while every single Democrat voted the other way. His closing message is vintage Tim Scott: forward-looking, rooted in lived experience, and unapologetically hopeful.
Chapters
0:00 Intro
1:33 Scott Joins the Show
1:37 Defeating Paul Thurmond in 2010
3:49 Herman Cain and America's Progress
5:30 Selma, the Pettus Bridge, and Change
7:07 Cotton to Congress: Scott's Life Story
7:58 Grit, Grace, and His Chick-fil-A Mentor
11:08 Hope and the American Dream Today
13:32 Republican Wins for Working Americans
14:53 The 2026 Midterm Battlefield
15:32 Candidate Recruitment Strategy
16:50 Trump on the Ballot
17:57 Democrat Brand vs. Republican Agenda
19:38 The Bellwether Race: Maine
22:04 The Republican Message in 30 Seconds
22:57 Closing: From North Charleston to the Senate
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