Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), the one-time presidential candidate whose love life stirred interest on the campaign trail, became engaged to be married on Saturday, he announced on social media.
Scott popped the question to now-fiancé Mindy Noce at South Carolina’s Kiawah Island on a sunset beach walk.
“As a guy who is mostly an introvert and on the quiet side, having to have a conversation about the engagement is a little, you know, uncomfortable in a way, but it’s the most exciting thing I’ll do with my life besides making Jesus my Lord,” Scott told The Washington Post.
“I’ve been very patient and prayerful, and I’m really excited and somewhat nervous, and I couldn’t be more thankful for having found a soul mate and someone who shares a lot of the same interests, passions and goals that I do,” he said.
The couple began dating about a year ago after meeting via church, Scott said, where they bonded over bible study.
Scott’s relationship status was an unanswered question during much of his presidential campaign last year. The senator often declined to comment about his personal life until September, when he revealed that he did indeed have a “special someone.”
He didn’t name Noce at the time, referring to her only as a “lovely Christian girl.” She was first seen in public two months later, when she joined him on stage at a presidential debate in November.
Questions swirled as Scott, 57, would have been the first unmarried president in over a century if he was elected.
When he first publicly acknowledged his girlfriend in September, he joked to the Post as to why he didn’t choose to bring her with him on the campaign trail.
“I can’t imagine dragging her onto the campaign trail unless I have the intention of marrying her,” he said. “I hope that happens, to be honest with you.”
Scott endorsed former President Trump for the 2024 GOP nomination last week, bucking fellow Palmetto native former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley. The pair is set to face off in the South Carolina primary on Feb. 24.
On Sunday, speculation rose again over Scott’s future as he signaled he would be interested in serving as Trump’s vice president.
