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South Carolina GOP Sen. Tim Scott officially launched his presidential campaign this week.
Here's where he stands on some top issues:
Abortion
Scott considers himself “strongly pro-life," telling NBC News that he would sign "the most conservative legislation, pro-life legislation that can get to my desk" if elected. He added during the recent interview with NBC that he's backed legislation to ban abortion after both 20 weeks and 15 weeks.
"I believe that life has intrinsic value, because it comes from God. I have a 100% pro-life voting record. I’m 100% pro-life conservative. As president of the United States, I would sign the most conservative legislation, pro-life legislation that can get to my desk," he told NBC News' Tom Llamas in an interview Monday.
"If we don’t win the American people on either side of this debate for life, nothing gets through Congress. What legislation do we have today that gets through Congress? I’ve cosponsored a 20 week bill. I’ve signaled very clearly I’d sign a 15 week bill."
Education
Scott has been a longitme supporter of school choice and backed many bills over the years aimed at giving parents more flexibility to choose their child's schooling.
“I love school choice because I understand the value of a good education. I’ll tell you, I’ve said it several times, the closest thing to magic in America is a good education," he said in January to students during a rally for National School Choice Week.
"I’m excited about your future because you are involved in what I believe is the greatest civil rights issue of our time, and it is quality education.”
Scott has been a vocal critic of Democrats over the issue of critical race theory, arguing they want to stoke divisions.
“100 years ago, children were taught the color of their skin defined them. If you wanted to ruin America, you bring that back. Tell white kids they are oppressors, tell black kids and brown kids their destiny is grievance not greatness," he said on the campaign trail in Iowa this March.
Entitlements and taxes
Scott voted for Paul Ryan’s 2013 budget (in 2012), which would have raised the Medicare age to 67 and, per analysis from KFF News, turned Medicaid into a block grant.
On taxes, he's touted the tax cuts the GOP Congress passed during the Trump administration and has argued cutting taxes empowers families to make decisions for themselves.
“A leader with a faith in America would have faith in Americans. That means cutting taxes, not raising taxes, so families can keep their own money, build their own lives and define their own dreams," he said on the campaign trail in Iowa in March.
Immigration
Scott voted no on the sweeping immigration compromise in 2013 put forward by the "Gang of Eight." He's backed a "permanent, compassionate solution for DACA recipients" in exchange for securing the border.
More recently, he's criticized the Biden administration over a report that immigrants separated from their family at the border. And he wants to devote money to building a wall with new technology on the southern border to address illegal migration and drugs.
“Closing that southern border saves perhaps tens of thousands of American lives. 70,000 Americans have lost their lives in a single year because of fentanyl," he told NBC News this week.
"Building the wall, using the latest and greatest technology that’s available today, about $5 billion, will provide more surveillance on our southern border to stop fentanyl from crossing our border.”
Ukraine
Scott has broadly voiced support for Ukraine, arguing that "degrading the Russian military is in America's best interest."
Scott has been relatively light on specifics in what he would do as president with Ukraine, repeating the no “blank check” line and broadly criticizing President Joe Biden’s “lack of leadership,” even as he’s broadly talked about the importance of protecting democracy and America’s security, and that America should be supporting Ukraine.
While he's criticized the Biden administration for not clearly articulating its goals and accusing it of "waiting too long to provide too little support," he reiterated this week that "our presence in Ukraine is actually essential" to protect American interests and NATO countries.
2020 election
After supporting the Trump campaign’s right to exhaust its legal options, Scott said that no judge found “evidence indicating the election results in those states should be overturned” and did not vote to object to the election results.
This week, he told NBC News he would not try to overturn an election he lost.
