Tim Scott's girlfriend reveal was the sole highlight of the 3rd GOP debate

• GOP presidential candidate and lifelong bachelor Tim Scott earlier this year said he had a girlfriend.
• He didn't reveal her name, though, and no photos of the couple were ever released.
• But after the GOP debate Tuesday, he brought her onstage, to the delight of political reporters.

UPDATE Monday, November 13: Unfortunately the reveal didn't help revive Scott's campaign, and on Sunday evening he unexpectedly announced he was ending his candidacy. Original story is below.

During Tuesday night's debate, Sen. Tim Scott — along with his fellow Republican presidential candidates — blew it, failing to make any substantial inroads against frontrunner Donald Trump or do anything really to make Americans care about his candidacy.

But, after the debate, the 58-year-old Scott did perhaps the only thing that could create some buzz around his flailing campaign: He brought his girlfriend onstage.

Reporters were delighted at the reveal.

Scott, a lifelong bachelor who has faced rumors that he's gay, first said he had a girlfriend last May at an Axios event. He discussed her in a bit more detail in an interview with the Washington Post in September.

She's never been named, though, and the only information he'd reveal about her prior to Tuesday was that she was "a lovely Christian girl," as he told a crowd at a rally in Iowa in September.

Her name, per Axios, is Mindy Noce, and they've been dating for "about a year or so." According to Politico, Noce is a mother of three who lives in Charleston, where she works as an interior designer.

"I can't imagine dragging her onto the campaign trail unless I have the intention of marrying her," Scott told the Post in September.

So, does the extremely public reveal of their relationship mean he's planning to marry Noce? Unclear, as a representative for Scott didn't immediately respond to a request for comment on the important issue.

We'll update if we hear back.