Columbia activist enters 2022 US Senate race to take on SC’s Tim Scott in November

Columbia activist Catherine Fleming Bruce says she will run in the South Carolina Democratic Primary to unseat U.S. Sen. Tim Scott.

Bruce, who was raised in Sumter, made the announcement in a video posted online Monday on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. She is the third Democrat and Black woman to enter the race.

“The reason I’m doing this is because it is part of a journey that I’ve walked, walking in the footsteps of people that I love and seeing other people who deserve to have policy that’s going to help them, policy that is going to make their lives better,” Bruce said in the video.

Bruce is the director of TNOVSA Global Commons, a group focused on civic engagement in Columbia.

She also worked as a political organizer for Tom Steyer’s 2020 Democratic presidential campaign in South Carolina, and with Black Voters Matter, her LinkedIn said.

In 2019, Bruce ran unsuccessfully for Columbia City Council.

“It’s going to be more than a campaign,” Bruce said in her announcement video. “It’s going to be a movement to ensure that South Carolina is whole and is part of the other states that fight for justice and equality of life that they can be proud of.”

Bruce is the third Democrat to toss her hat in the 2022 Senate race.

State Rep. Krystle Matthews, D-Berkeley, launched her campaign in April, and Angela Geter, chairwoman of the Spartanburg County Democratic Party, launched her bid in May.

Running against Scott, the state’s junior senator who is a potential 2024 presidential candidate, in a traditionally red will be a challenge for Democrats.

Scott is heavily favored to win his Senate race, and has raised millions of dollars — about $31 million so far — for his reelection bid, making him among the top three fundraisers in the Senate. Scott has more than $18 million in the bank, according to his latest fundraising report that puts him well past Matthews and Geter combined.