In the South Carolina Lowcountry, where slaves once toiled on plantations, Tim Scott is set to make history as the first black Republican elected to Congress from the Deep South in more than a century.

Endorsed by Sarah Palin, he trounced former Sen. Strom Thurmond's son last week to win the GOP nomination in South Carolina’s 1st Congressional District, which is heavily Republican.

But for Scott, who was raised by a single mom and mentored by a white, Christian conservative, his history-making campaign – and likely win in November – is not about race.

In a New York Times story, he says he wants to put America back on a conservative track – “He believes that (President) Obama is driving the country toward bankruptcy and socialism,” the newspaper said.

Scott’s other goals: Shrink government, repeal the federal health care law and eliminate earmarks. In the S.C. legislature, he has co-sponsored an Arizona-style immigration bill.

If elected, he will become the only black Republican on Capitol Hill and the first since Rep. J.C. Watts of Oklahoma retired in 2003.

Read more at CharlotteObserver.com.
 

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