Did Sen. Tim Scott, potential Trump vp contender, certify the 2020 election?

Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., a potential vice presidential nominee, did not commit to accepting the outcome of the 2024 election, regardless of the winner, on NBC's Meet the Press" on Sunday.

"There is clear facts here. President Trump himself said he expects this election to be fair. He expects it to be honest. And he expects to win. That’s what the presidential candidate should expect and I expect the exact same thing, and frankly the American people agree with him. This is an issue that is not an issue so I’m not going to make it an issue," said Scott.

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Yet Scott voted to certify the 2020 presidential election results, saying he does not believe the election was "stolen." But when asked if he would have done so if he were the vice president, he has declined to comment every single time.

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He is now in his third term as the junior senator of South Carolina. Initially appointed by then-Governor Nikki Haley to fill the vacancy created by Senator Jim DeMint's retirement, Scott became the first Black person to serve in both the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate. He was subsequently re-elected in 2016 and 2022.

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Scott announced his presidential candidacy in May 2023 but dropped out six months later. He went on to endorse former President Donald Trump in January 2024 during a rally in Concord, New Hampshire.

Victor Hagan is the Alabama Election Reporting Fellow for the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at vhagan@gannett.com or on X @TheVictorHagan. To support his work, subscribe to the Advertiser.