Timothy Eugene Scott (born September 19, 1965) is an American businessman and Republican politician serving as the junior United States Senator for South Carolina since 2013. In 2013, he was appointed U.S. Senator by South Carolina governor Nikki Haley to replace the retiring Jim DeMint. Scott later won a Senate special election in 2014 and was elected to a full term in 2016. A conservative, Scott was endorsed for the Senate by Tea Party groups.