Tim Scott beefs up political operation with top Senate aide

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott’s closest adviser is leaving his office to take a broader role in his political operation, a move that comes amid a growing role in the midterm campaign — and speculation that he could run for president in 2024.

Jennifer DeCasper, who has been Scott’s chief of staff since 2015, is departing the Senate to start her own consulting firm, where she will help guide his political activities ahead of the midterm elections, including advising a new Scott-aligned super PAC that is expected to spend heavily for candidates on the ballot this year. The group — dubbed Opportunity Matters Fund Action — is focused on voter turnout and digital and mail advertising.

Scott has taken a highly active role in the midterm election: He has endorsed an array of candidates and is expected to visit more than a half-dozen states to bolster Republican contenders. Meanwhile, a separate pro-Scott super PAC launched in 2020, Opportunity Matters Fund, has spent $17 million to boost more than a dozen candidates, including sending $5 million to Senate Leadership Fund, the GOP’s primary Senate super PAC.

Scott’s increasingly high profile has sparked buzz that he is readying a national campaign. In August, he traveled to Iowa, which hosts the GOP’s first presidential nominating contest, and he is expected to return to the state later this week. Last fall, he made a trip to New Hampshire, another key state on the calendar.

And Opportunity Matters Fund’s ads have backed a pair of House Republicans in Iowa and the GOP Senate nominee in Nevada, a third early-voting state in the presidential nominating process. Scott’s leadership PAC, meanwhile, has lavished hundreds of thousands of dollars on Republicans in his home state, which hosts the first-in-the-South primary.

Altogether, Scott has already visited more than a half-dozen states to stump for Republican candidates running in key races, including Georgia, North Carolina and Wisconsin.

The senator has also drawn attention from major donors — including tech billionaire Larry Ellison, who has donated $20 million to Opportunity Matters Fund. The organization recently received $2.5 million from another major donor, South Carolina businessperson and philanthropist Benjamin Navarro.

DeCasper, the first Black female chief of staff in the Senate, has worked in a variety of roles for Scott, who is known for keeping a tight inner circle. In a statement, the senator called DeCasper his “most trusted adviser for the last decade,” adding: “I know that she will continue to have an outsized impact on expanding our mission to every corner of the country."

DeCasper said in a statement that “this new chapter will allow me to expand and grow his vision of opportunity and optimism for our country,” and that “now is the time to take on new and exciting challenges that build on the momentum we've created over the last decade."

Scott has refused to confirm or deny that he is interested in running for president in 2024, saying that he is focused on the midterms, when he is running for reelection to the Senate and is heavily favored to win another term. During an interview with Fox News last year, the senator said he was open to running as former President Donald Trump’s No. 2, should Trump wage a 2024 bid.

Taking over for DeCasper in Scott’s Senate office will be Neri Martinez, who has served as the Republican staff director for the Senate Select Committee on Aging, on which Scott is the ranking member.