Not the Democrats: African-American senator endorses Hispanic for president

Greg P. | 12:45 PM on February 02, 2016

Marco Rubio secured a big endorsement today after his strong, albeit 3rd place finish in Iowa: Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina.

Scott said in a recorded video that Rubio is “the one shot in 2016 to beat Hillary Clinton”:

Sen. Tim Scott video: "We have one shot in 2016 to beat Hillary Clinton and that shot is Marco Rubio." https://t.co/zMZ1XqKXSB

— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) February 2, 2016

And as Emily Zanotti points out, this is a very big deal:

The first black Senator from the deep south endorsed a Hispanic son of immigrants for GOP nod. This is a big deal. https://t.co/9iXC831Qsh

— Emily Zanotti’s Great & Unmatched Wisdom (@emzanotti) February 2, 2016

An excerpt:

Senator Tim Scott is the first black Senator elected from the “deep south.” He was appointed, initially, by a female governor, herself a woman of color, a child of immigrants and a Catholic. He is throwing his support behind the Hispanic son of immigrants who escaped Communist Cuba, the night after more than 60% of Republican Iowa caucus-goers voted for a minority – Hispanic, black, or female – to win the Presidential nomination. Even if you’re not a fan of Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz, Dr. Ben Carson or Carly Fiorina, you have to appreciate what that means for the “party of old white people.” Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders, both lily-white septugenarians – literally old white people – are arguing over .4% of a vote that drew only half as many caucus-goers as in 2008, flipping coins for delegates and lobbing accusations of voter fraud.

The media certainly won’t talk about it, but the diversity among Republicans is a very big deal.