An S.C.-based presidential hopeful made a campaign stop in Lexington, emphasizing his faith in Christ, “backing the Blue,” parental choice, the border crisis and China.

On Aug. 28, Sen. Tim Scott visited Northside Christian Academy, where he held babies and shot some hoops with supporters before delivering short remarks. Scott is the fourth of the top seven presidential hopefuls in the latest Republican presidential polls to stop in the county, joining Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, pharmaceutical entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and former S.C. governor Nikki Haley.

“'I'm going to focus on restoring, creating opportunities and protecting the America we all love,” Scott said. “Protecting America starts with backing the Blue.”

Scott said the country must restore and re-up funding for law enforcement, stating that Democrats are defunding, demoralizing and demonizing those they depend on during times of emergency.

The candidate told those in attendance that to ensure the action is protected, law enforcement needs to be afforded the best training and resources so that the best people want to wear the badge. 

Scott said protecting the country also includes closing the southern border, a topic touched on frequently by the 2024 Republican candidates. He said he will emphasize finishing the wall along the Mexican border.

“I will target the cartels as foreign terrorist terrorist organizations,” Scott added.

He said he has written legislation that would give the U.S. power to target the cartel's accounts, freeze their assets, and sanction them to stem the cash that is their lifeblood.

Scott focused on another familiar target in China, saying the U.S. needs a president strong enough to go toe to toe with that country’s president, Xi Jinping

“It is not the strength of President Xi or China that is the issue,” the senator said. “It is the weakness of President Biden that is our issue.”

A member of the crowd asked how Scott would handle China. He answered that a separation of economies is the first step, and the faster the country does this, the more powerful our response will be.

Scott added that the U.S. needs to continue to provide Taiwan's military with resources, saying that we must stand shoulder to shoulder with our allies.

The candidate turned to the U.S. military, saying it needs to focus on one thing: winning wars. Scott said that there is too much social experimentation happening in the military, adding that it is too focused on gender, abortion, vaccine and mandate issues.

When it came to education, Scott was vocal when it came to parents having the right to choose their children's education, telling those in attendance that when a parent has a choice, their kids have a chance.

The senator focused on what he described as the pervasive notion that anybody can be a parent not everybody can be a teacher, saying that teachers knowing better than parents is a “lie from Gehenna, for those of us familiar with the word of God.”

In the Bible, that locale was cursed by the prophet Jeremiah.

Scott emphasized that parents are the most important part of a child's education, adding that his “parent’s bill of rights” would allow parents to access the information that they want and keep them informed about what's happening with their kids at school.

“It also focuses on the importance of school choice and it simply says that, if it's not a fundamental necessity, a parent has the right to opt their kid out of all elective classes,” Scott said. “You should teach your kid about gender and sexual issues, not a school.”

This thought was previously brought up by Rebecca Blackburn Hines, Lexington-Richland School District 5’s board chair, who introduced Scott’s town hall.

Hines said it’s important to make sure that parents feel empowered. 

“You're planning to empower parents. As a mom and as a school board trustee, I can tell you right now that it starts from the top at the federal level,” she said. “The left is trying to infiltrate the minds of our children.”

Compared to other town halls that Republican candidates have hosted in the county, Scott’s took on more of a family feel, with attendees being able to enjoy cornhole, basketball and other games, along with free candy and merchandise.

When Scott arrived at the venue, he took the time to speak and take photos with those in attendance, even being handed a few babies. Scott joined a game of basketball the children were playing, shooting a few shots himself before making his way to the front.

“You never know who's on the other side of a campaign, but I do know that if you love America, even if we disagree on the candidate of our choice, we should all be proud to be Americans.” Scott said.