Tim Scott speaks on faith in America at Ole Miss. See details here.

With the 2024 presidential elections still more than a year away, there is no shortage of extensive campaigning among the potential Republican candidates. South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott added Mississippi to his campaign trail and spoke at Ole Miss Friday on the state of democracy and faith in America.

Dozens of people gathered in the Pavilion, usually occupied by basketball fans, Friday afternoon to hear Scott discuss with moderator and Ole Miss professor Steven Skultety.

The event in part promoted the university's new freedom studies minor under the revitalized Declaration of Independence Center for the Study of American Freedom, which hosted the event.

Chancellor Glenn Boyce opened the event with remarks on the center and expressed his gratitude for Scott's presence.

“Today's audience is gonna be fortunate to learn from you and to consider your perspectives on freedom, democracy, civics and America's future," Boyce said. "We want you to know how much we appreciate that service too. It's just amazing."

Mississippi Sen. Roger Wicker, who previously worked alongside Scott on the floor of the Senate, said the event was "making history today in Oxford, Mississippi."

Wicker introduced Scott and spoke on Scott's upbringing in South Carolina, one characterized by faith.

"Tim Scott's faith is genuine and evident and humble, and he inspires others with his words and his deeds. Tim Scott was an athlete in high school and in college, and he now brings that team spirit and energy to his work on behalf of the people of South Carolina," Wicker said. "Tim's here today because he believes in the principles of the Declaration of Independence. He still believes in the dream of our founders. He believes that dream is still relevant, even essential today."

Skultety asked Scott several question pertaining to his childhood and Christian upbringing. Scott spoke on how his mother originally wanted him to be a preacher, but ultimately he knew politics was his true calling. He attributes his strong faith to his mother.

"My mother really did lay that foundation of being the matriarch spiritually in our family so that there would be a vision that was cast for my future and that I could run into that vision and our nation and our founding fathers to do the same thing for this nation," Scott said.

Scott emphasized his belief that America today is focused on spirituality but is moving away from traditional organized religion. He said this is the main reason "why our nation is experiencing high levels of instability."

When asked about the future of faith in America, Scott said he predicts more assault on religion paired with "the indoctrination of our kids from kindergarten through college."

"I think we will see some of the greatest assaults on religious liberty that we've ever seen," Scott said. "We're seeing it today around the world, but we're seeing a lot of it at home as well. People want to challenge whether or not your faith should be a part of the public form. They forget the fact that our founding fathers founded this nation upon the rock of Judeo Christian ethos. It is that rock that allows this nation to be the city on the hill."

Scott hinges his campaign on his experience growing up in a poor, single-parent household and was the first Black elected to the U.S. House of Representative as well as the Senate in South Carolina in more than a century. As a result of growing up in poverty, Scott said he developed the belief that the federal government should step back and let private sectors take more control.

"The one thing that we always had was the government," Scott said, "And the only thing I could recognize as a result of all that help — the government defines that as help— (was) 'Please help us less. We don't need that kind of help.' But what I did realize was, if you could ring the private sector into those communities and create jobs and rehabilitate neighborhoods without significant gentrification, then the people who are there become primary beneficiaries of the activity."

Toward the end of the discussion, Scott spoke more in depth about his deep appreciation for his mother, prompting both him and Skultety to get emotional.

"Now I think about my mama, a woman struggling every day to believe that somehow, someway this country would afford her child an opportunity to live the full American dream. A woman who grew up with colored water fountains and white ones, a woman who believed that you can be a victim or you could be victorious, but you can't be both," Scott said.

Throughout the discussion, Scott returned to the idea that faith is the true path to freedom. In a media conference after the discussion, when asked why this concept is particularly important to a state like Mississippi, Scott emphasized the importance of remembering history.

“If you think about back through the civil rights era, one of the challenges that we've all had with the South and Mississippi is to take a look at the mirror and to make that kind of evolution happen within our states. We've seen that. I was sitting there thinking to myself that there's no greater snapshot of American progress than the deep south. I'm blessed to come from a state that understands the importance of progress. Mississippi is another state that understands the importance of progress, but more importantly, we both understand the reason why progress is even available. And in America, it is that Judeo-Christian Foundation that makes progress possible for this nation,” Scott said.

Scott also emphasized the founding fathers’ role in the Judeo-Christian foundation and said Americans should celebrate them.

“We don't cancel them in South Carolina to Mississippi, and we want the rest of the country to follow suit,” Scott said.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Tim Scott campaigns at Ole Miss speaks on faith in America