Tim Scott to replace Jim DeMint in US Senate

Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina has picked Representative Tim Scott to replace Jim DeMint in the United States Senate. Mr. Scott will be the first African American senator from the South since the late 19th century, reports the NY Times, and will be the only current African American member of the Senate.

Both Gov. Haley and Mr. Scott are favorites of the Tea Party in South Carolina.

From NY Times:

Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina on Monday selected Representative Tim Scott to replace Jim DeMint in the United States Senate, an appointment that will make Mr. Scott the first black senator from the South since the late 19th century.

Mr. Scott, 47, also offers a unique story and background, one that is in scant supply in the Republican Party right now. He was, by his account, a lost child who struggled with school and with life until a Chick-fil-A franchise owner took him on as a protégé and schooled him in conservative principles.

Although the Republicans have far fewer minorities and women in Congress than the Democrats, the party, with Monday’s announcement, will now be able to claim the only current black member of the Senate, as well as two of the three Latino senators.