Tim Scott releases new campaign ad focusing on border security and fentanyl crisis
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCIV) — South Carolina Senator and candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, Tim Scott, revealed a new campaign ad Thursday as the election cycle trail turns toward the first debate on Aug. 23 in Milwaukee.
The ad, titled "Your House," will air in New Hampshire and Iowa. It features Scott standing in front of the Southern border, where he speaks of the danger present to the United States if action isn't taken to "control your back door." The action Scott proposes is the utilization of the American military to enforce border policies.
"If we don't control this border, it's not our country," Scott said in the ad. "Last year, we lost 70,000 Americans to fentanyl because Joe Biden surrendered our Southern border to the Mexican drug cartels. As Commander in Chief, I'll unleash our military to crush the cartels and stop these terrorists from killing our kids."
Read more: Senator Tim Scott to speak at GOP dinner following Senate legislative victories.
The ad has a familiar tone for Scott, who in recent weeks has focused much of his campaign message on the fentanyl crisis and the role he said the Southern border plays in the current epidemic.
On Wednesday, Scott disregarded a discussion examining the climate emergency because he said the country is facing a crisis along the Southern border.
During an interview on “Fox & Friends,” Scott was asked about President Biden being prepared to declare a national emergency concerning climate change. To that, Scott, who recently visited the border in Arizona, said Biden failed the nation because of the current border policies in place, not climate change.
Read more: Nikki Haley, Tim Scott among 7 Republican presidential candidates who qualify for the debate.
"Let’s be clear about it. President Biden has failed this nation, especially in declaring the actual emergency, which is an emergency at our border. Fentanyl has killed 70,000 Americans; he should reinstate Title 42 for a health emergency called fentanyl. It’s killing Americans.”
“We have an unsecured, wide open, and unsafe border that could be closed with a Southern border wall,” he added. “He refuses to complete the wall, and he also refuses to use the available technology like seismic monitors so that the [CPB] can do their jobs better... This is ridiculous to talk about a climate emergency when we have a border emergency that is an existential threat right now."
The focus on fentanyl isn't new for Scott. In late July, Scott assisted in the passage of a defense bill in the Senate that included the FEND Off Fentanyl Act, which uses economic sanctions to target the financial assets of drug traffickers and fentanyl suppliers.
Scott may attempt to showcase his perceived strong stance on the Southern border and the resulting fentanyl epidemic during the Aug. 23 debate.
It is an issue that resonates with a majority of the GOP base. In a July Gallup poll, 91% of Republicans believe the border is a "major crisis." That number increased from 88% in 2019.
With Scott polling around 3% in recent FiveThirtyEight polling data, it is evident his emphasis on the border is an attempt to curate more support among Republican primary voters in a crowded field of candidates which former President Donald J. Trump still leads by a large margin.
Read more: Tim Scott releases new faith-inspired campaign ad.