(NewsNation) — Republican presidential candidate Sen. Tim Scott is starting to draw attention — not for his policies but for his relationship status.
The South Carolina senator is unmarried and says this should not count against him.
“To suggest that somehow being married or not married is going to be the determining factor of whether or not you’re a good president or not. It sounds like we’re living in 1963 and not 2023. I probably have more time, more energy and more latitude to do the job. I mean, my girlfriend wants to see me when I come home,” Scott said in a conversation with Axios.
Though some critics doubt whether Scott actually has a girlfriend, his campaign confirmed to NewsNation that she is real, saying he wants to keep her out of the public spotlight but that they have a strong, healthy relationship based on their faith.
The senator has been hitting back at the allegations, asking whether it matters if he is in a relationship or not. Some contend that looking at history, it does matter.
“The spouse is often used on the campaign trail. And then if the person is elected, the spouse is often used to represent the office or represent the president or represent the public. And so that really does matter to some voters, and it really actually does matter to the job,” said Aubrey Jewett, politics associate professor at the University of Central Florida.
Historically, first ladies have played prominent roles in the job of the presidency. After President Woodrow Wilson had a stroke, his wife, Edith Wilson, took over many of the day-to-day duties during his second term. First Lady Nancy Reagan took up many national causes, including the “Just Say No” to drugs movement.
This raises the question: Could a bachelor win the Oval Office?
The last time an unmarried man was elected was in 1893, when Grover Cleveland took the White House. He was unmarried at the time but was married 15 months into his first term.