Scott criticizes DeSantis over his support for Florida’s slavery curriculum as they stump in Iowa

By MEG KINNARD and HANNAH FINGERHUT
Associated Press

ANKENY, Iowa (AP) — U.S. Sen. Tim Scott is criticizing fellow Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for supporting standards requiring teachers to instruct middle school students that slaves developed skills that “could be applied for their personal benefit.” The South Carolina senator suggests DeSantis might “regret” supporting the Florida curriculum. The Senate’s sole Black Republican spoke to reporters Thursday after a town hall in Iowa. Scott said he’d hope every person in the U.S. “and certainly running for president” would recognize slavery was “devastating.” DeSantis in turn defended the standards Friday and accused Republicans in Washington of accepting “lies that are perpetrated by the left.”