Amid gay rumors, Sen. Tim Scott shows off mystery girlfriend at 3rd GOP debate

Anti-trans Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC) fended off rumors about him being gay by unveiling his mysterious girlfriend at the end of last night’s Republican debate.

The woman, a blonde in a grey blazer, was identified by The New York Times as Mindy Noce, a design and renovations manager for a real estate company in Charleston, South Carolina. Scott confirmed that the two have been seeing each other for “about a year or so.”

Related:

Who is Tim Scott? Where does he stand on LGBTQ rights?

Scott has consistently opposed same-sex marriage, LGBTQ+ non-discrimination protections, and school accommodations for transgender students.

At the end of the debate, when the four other candidates were joined onstage by their spouses, Scott was joined by his mother, Frances Scott, and the two posed for a picture behind his debate lectern. He then squatted at the edge of the stage to take pictures with some supporters before taking pictures with his nephew, Ben Scott.

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“Finally, after most of his rivals and their families had left the stage, Mr. Scott was joined at his lectern by Ms. Noce,” the Times reported. The two held hands and then exited the stage.

At the end of September, Scott addressed the gay rumors surrounding him by vaguely referencing his girlfriend, whom he refused to identify by name. He is the only unmarried Republican presidential candidate this election season.

At the time, he said, “I have been very protective of my family and my loved ones. I signed up for this. If we make it, she will be signing up for it as well, but at least then she’ll know what she’s getting into. But until then, the only conversation I’m going to have about her in any form or fashion is right now.”

He continued, “I can’t imagine dragging her onto the campaign trail unless I have the intention of marrying her. I hope that happens, to be honest with you.” He then joked, “I guess I should be careful about how I say that. Strike that comment.”

Top Republican donors and allies had privately pushed his campaign for more detail about his bachelor status before committing to support him.

At the end of last night’s debate, Scott ended his performance with a transphobic comment. A moderator asked Scott to explain why he and not Trump would be the party’s best choice to tackle the important issues facing the country. Scott said the country should “turn back” to Christian faith, even though approximately 122 million Americans across the nation aren’t Christian.

He replied, “There is a crisis that is growing in our nation and that crisis is cultural and spiritual. We need a renewal a great awakening,” Scott said. “We should reject the Left’s valueless, faithless, fatherless society, we should turn back to faith, patriotism, and individual responsibility… There are basic truths that built this country,” he continued. “If you’re able-bodied in America, you work. If you take out a loan, you pay it back. If you committed a violent crime, you go to jail. And if God made you a man, you play sports against men.”

The audience applauded his line.

In September 2022, Scott introduced the Parental Rights Over the Education and Care of Their Kids Act (the PROTECT Kids Act), which proposed cutting federal funding to any schools that allow transgender students to use locker room facilities matching their gender identity. 

“I introduced the PROTECT Kids Act to safeguard parental rights and ensure that children can learn in an environment free of indoctrination,” he said at the time.