Tim Scott's Senate Win in S.C. is Historic

In a historic race, Tim Scott became the first African-American to be elected to the U.S. Senate from South Carolina and also the first from the state to win a statewide office since Reconstruction.

Scott, a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, was appointed by Gov. Nikki Haley to serve in the U.S. Senate after Jim DeMint vacated his Senate seat in December 2012. While serving out DeMint's term in the Senate, Scott was only one of two black U.S. Senators, and the only one in the Republican party.

The election was unusual for South Carolina, which normally wouldn't have had an open U.S. Senate seat until 2016. Joyce Dickerson, Scott's Democratic opponent, is also black, setting South Carolina up for the historic milestone of the state's first election between two black candidates. The American Party's Jill Bossi was also in the race. In the primaries, Scott handily defeated his opponent, Randall Young, who did no campaigning after he filed for candidacy.

In the midst of celebrating this historic milestone, Republicans are giving themselves a big pat on the back for not being racists. Yup. You read that right. They're celebrating Scott's win as a definitive proof that the party doesn't hate minorities. Not that I'm saying they do, but it seems a little strange to use this as your vehicle for proving to others that you don't discriminate against minorities.

So, congratulations to Tim Scott for this achievement. But none for you, GOP. That's a bad look.