Congressional Representatives: Social Sciences Essay

Congressional Representatives
Student’s Name
Institution
Congressional Representatives
Introduction
As a resident of Anderson, South Carolina, I am represented by Lindsey Graham and Tim Scott in the US senate and Jeff Duncan in the House of Representatives. These individuals play an integral role in the formulation and implementation of relevant resolutions, bills, and amendments. Lindsey Graham is a senior senator and has served since 2003. As a republican, Graham is a conservative problem-solver and a major supporter of strong national defense (Senate.gov, n.d.). Graham also supports spending cuts and the reform of entitlements. His latest reelection was in the 2020 election where he defeated Democrat Jaime Harrison with 1,369,137 votes (54.44%). Junior senator Tim Scot is a Republican junior senator who has served since 2013. Scott had previously served as a representative for the state's 1st district from 2011-2012. In his last election that occurred in 2016, he won with 1,241,609 votes (60.57%) against democratic candidate Thomas Dixon. Jeff Duncan has served as representative for the 3rd district since 2011. He is a Republican and a major supporter of individual liberties, limited government, and free markets (House.gov, n.d.). He won his seat in the 2020 elections with 237,544 votes (71.21%). This paper will focus more on the junior senator, Tim Scott.
Tim Scott
Tim Scott is the most interesting representative of the three candidates because his appointment into the Senate by Governor Nikki Haley marked an important point in history. Prior to Scott joining the senate in 2013, the Southern US had sent only two African Americans into the senate: Hiram R. Revels and Blanche K. Bruce (Huffmon, Knotts, & McKee, 2016). Before 2013, 132 years had passed since an African American from Southern US last served in the senate. Therefore, his appointment and subsequent reelection by the state’s electorate is a key moment in history not only for the Republican Party but also for the state.
Born in North Charleston in 1965, Scott was brought up by a single mother who worked as a nurse’s assistant (Huffmon, Knotts, & McKee, 2016). Scott was an athlete who received a partial football scholarship from Presbyterian College. His graduation with a political science’s bachelor’s degree in 1988 from Charleston Southern University was a key moment for him. Scott would become a prosperous entrepreneur with the owner of Chick-fil-A, John Moniz, playing a big part in his business success (Huffmon, Knotts, & McKee, 2016). As noted by Huffmon, Knotts, and McKee (2016), due to his humble beginnings, he developed a belief in economic individualism as well as a positive attitude towards the free market. Therefore, his philosophy is directly in conflict with the beliefs of Democrats, including President Barack Obama’s. It is important to recognize that majority of people from lower economic status are represented by the Democratic Party. It is interesting, therefore, that despite his humble beginnings, he adopted a conservative ideology.
Scot began his political career in 1995 when he ran for a position on the Charleston County Council (CCC). He clinched the seat and served the role unti...