Did the publisher of Sen. Tim Scott’s memoir let the cat out of the bag a little too soon when it comes to the South Carolina Republican’s political aspirations?
Well, according to the scrambling from HarperCollins Christian Publishing after including a stunning reference to Scott’s pursuit of a White House bid this year on the copyright page, they just may have.
Scott has a new book out, America, a Redemption Story: Choosing Hope, Creating Unity, and the small print on the copyright page included this doozy:
“Senator Scott is a rising star who sees and understands the importance of bipartisanship to move America forward. This book is a political memoir that includes his core messages as he prepares to make a presidential bid in 2022.”
That’s quite a subtle announcement when it comes to throwing your hat into the presidential ring, except that Scott said he found the remark “fascinating” when questioned by The Post and Courier.
“I have not,” Scott said, on deciding to run for president. “That’s fascinating that that’s the copy on the book.”
The newspaper pressed on whether the book is the starting point for mounting a run, the GOP senator replied: “Not for me it’s not.”
Turns out, Scott had not endorsed the copyright page language, according to the Post and Courier.
A spokesman for the publisher, Thomas Nelson, an imprint of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, released a statement taking responsibility for what was deemed to be an “error.”
“The description on the copyright page was our error and is not accurate. It was not done at the direction or approval of the Senator or his team. We are working to correct this immediately,” the statement said.
Scott is up for reelection in November and is not expected to be seriously challenged by his Democratic opponent, state Rep. Krystle Matthews. The Post and Courier noted that when it comes to presidential aspirations, Scott’s “go-to response has been to volley back with a lighthearted line about running for president of his homeowners’ association.”
However, in a recent interview, Scott took on a somewhat more serious tone while describing his book.
“It certainly is my opportunity to share my story — the pain and the promise of my story — with the American people without any question,” he said, according to the paper. “I hope that it goes beyond the borders of South Carolina, but it is absolutely not the beginning of a presidential election.”
One thing is certain, Scott would be up against some very stiff competition, with or without former President Donald Trump on the ballot:
Morning Consult/Politico 2024 GOP Primary Polling:
Tim Scott Trend Line
1% {0%} [0%] (1%) {0%} [1%]
7/15-17 {7/8-10} [6/24-26] (6/4-5) {3/18-21} [1/22-23]https://t.co/s2m4RWyRl5— Aron Goldman (@ArgoJournal) July 31, 2022
His name will reportedly be included in a GOP presidential nomination straw poll ballot at the upcoming Conservative Political Action Conference in Texas along with other possible candidates, so Scott may get an early taste of how he may fare against the heavyweights.
As for how the passage may have been included for the book, here’s one theory on the matter:
In short: Some poor editorial assistant submitted the book to the Library of Congress to be cataloged, pulled preliminary, unvetted marketing copy for the required “Summary” field, and no one noticed when it appeared in the LoC data block that has to printed on the copyright page
— Devon Freeny (@NotAllDreams) July 31, 2022
Writers and editors can be contacted at [email protected] with feedback, tips, or corrections.
Tom Tillison grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills. Tillison also contributes to BizPac Review.
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.