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There won’t be many freshmen lawmakers on the stage at the Republican National Convention, but South Carolina Rep. Tim Scott said their best surrogate is vice presidential pick Rep. Paul Ryan.

In an interview with POLITICO on Tuesday, Scott said his fellow freshmen in the House were thrilled with the choice, settling any doubts that Mitt Romney was supportive of their conservative agenda.

Continue Reading “I believe that the selection of Paul Ryan actually brought the base together. It answered all the questions we had before the convention started, which is really good news for the ticket,” Scott said.

Scott, who also called Romney “a true conservative,” said a Romney-Ryan ticket “reaffirms the fact that the position and the plan that we had in the House for creating jobs in America is a real plan.”

“It simply says that the Path to Prosperity, that Ryan was the chief architect of, has real substance in it and it gives us an opportunity to not only win as a party but to win as a country,” he said.

Scott said he considered Ryan an important messenger for the views of the historic 87 member freshman class. Roughly half of the class is in Tampa, and Scott said more will arrive as Ryan and Romney are set to speak later in the week.

“You still feel the camaraderie of a class of 87 original freshmen. I think what you see here is electricity. When you are around these guys, you understand and appreciate they have a vision for America. They are excited about the opportunity to be a part of the equation,” he said. “The presence of the freshman class in Tampa simply says that we believe in the ticket, we believe in the nation and we believe in the message.”

Scott disputed the portrayal of Romney as an unemotional, out-of-touch businessman. But he did list Ann Romney as one of the speakers he was most looking forward to hearing and thinks she’ll be able to connect voters with the Romney family.

“I think you are going to feel the Romney family and I think you are going to understand how that team compliments each other and how they’ve worked so well for four decades,” he said. “Success at home can be a strong indicator of success in other places. So I think we’ll hear just a fantastic speech from her.”

As for the path of Hurricane Isaac, Scott said the RNC was handling the situation appropriately by keeping an eye on the storm and remaining sensitive to the needs of the Gulf Coast but also continuing business in Tampa.

“I think [Louisiana Gov.] Bobby Jindal made the right choice to stay home and make sure his folks are taken care of,” Scott said. “But I think it’s important for us to continue to make the case for why America will be better with Mitt Romney as president. I think you can do multiple things at the same time and still give credence and appropriate respect to the folks in the Gulf Coast.”

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