Tim Scott, 59, revealed that the mystery woman he brought on stage at the end of the debate Wednesday is his girlfriend, Mindy Noce, 47.
The South Carolina senator’s campaign confirmed to DailyMail.com that the pair are romantically involved after a touching moment as the Republican showdown in Miami ended.
It ended months of furious speculation about his love life after launching his campaign.
Amid a high-tension debate with several personal attacks, Scott remained out of the line-of-fire and instead was seen happy as a clam with his girlfriend for what seems to be the first time in front of the media.
Tim Scott has revealed that the mystery woman he brought onto stage at the end of the debate was his girlfriend
Mindy Noce is a Charleston-based interior designer for Atlantic Properties of Lowcountry real estate firm. Sen. Scott said they have been dating for ‘several months’
Noce is a Charleston-based interior designer for Atlantic Properties of Lowcountry real estate firm.
Asked at the post-debate spin room about his girlfriend, Sen. Scott nonchalantly replied: ‘She’s great.’
He did not respond to a follow-up question on whether her attending the debate on Wednesday was a ‘soft-launch’ of taking their relationship more public.
It’s also unclear if Mindy will make more public appearances on the campaign trail as many of the other Republican candidates bring their families and spouses along for the ride.
Scott told reporters he has been dating Mindy for ‘several months.’
A registered Republican, Noce’s profile page for her job prompts her to describe herself in one sentence. She wrote: ‘A mover-and-shaker with a creative eye and love for people!’
Despite Scott confirming at a few different points that he was romantically involved, many were skeptical when he didn’t bring his girlfriend on the campaign trail.
The moment with Scott and Noce on stage at the debate on Wednesday appears to be the first time the couple has officially gone public as an item
Meanwhile, a DailyMail.com poll released in August found that Republicans in Iowa don’t really care whether or not the eventual nominee is married or not.
Still Americans have not voted a single man into the White House for more than a century. And earlier this year, reports surfaced suggesting that donors were nervous about Sen. Scott’s bachelor status.
Seventy percent of Republicans in Iowa, the first state to weigh-in on who the nominee should be, said the issue of marital status was not important in deciding who they will support.
Only 26 percent said it mattered, according to the poll conducted by J.L. Partners for DailyMail.com in July.