Updated

Updated · Fox News · Jul 16

Tim Scott Recruits Trey Gowdy for South Carolina Senate Race as Aug. 11 Special Election Nears

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Jul 16

Tim Scott Recruits Trey Gowdy for South Carolina Senate Race as Aug. 11 Special Election Nears

Q: Why would a successful figure like Trey Gowdy decline a prestigious Senate seat despite strong encouragement?

Trey Gowdy appears to be declining because the Senate would require him to give up a career and lifestyle he has already chosen over elected office. Gowdy left Congress in 2019 saying it was the right time to leave politics and return to the justice system. Since then, he has built a strong post-Washington career: he rejoined a major law firm, works on litigation and investigations, and became a prominent Fox News host and legal commentator. By all accounts, that work is both professionally satisfying and far more lucrative than a Senate salary. That helps explain his joking reference to the “financial implications.” Reports describe his current income from law, media, books and speaking as carrying a significant premium over government pay. For someone already successful outside office, a Senate seat can mean a major pay cut, tighter ethics constraints and less control over one’s schedule. There is also the question of personal preference. People close to the situation say Gowdy is simply not interested in returning to elected office. The Senate may be prestigious, but it also brings constant travel, fundraising, scrutiny and partisan combat. Compared with his current roles, it likely offers more aggravation and less autonomy. So the issue is not that the seat lacks stature. It is that Gowdy seems to have already decided that his best next chapter is in law and media, not in returning to public office.

3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 16

Tim Scott said he has been calling former Rep. Trey Gowdy multiple times a day to persuade him to run for Lindsey Graham’s vacant South Carolina Senate seat, though Gowdy remains resistant.
Aug. 11 is the date of the special election triggered by Graham’s death, and Scott argued Gowdy could quickly step into the role because of his 8 years in the House, prosecutorial background and foreign-policy experience.
Scott said Gowdy could be especially valuable on the Senate Judiciary Committee, where Graham had been expected to become chair next year and where a new Supreme Court vacancy could emerge.
Russell Fry remains another prominent contender, with Scott saying President Donald Trump has shown enthusiasm for the congressman even though no White House endorsement has been announced.
Darline Graham, Lindsey Graham’s sister and the appointee serving out his term, is also in Scott’s mix, with Scott saying she has had a strong start and should not be ruled out.