Republican Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina has filed his paperwork with the Federal Election Commission to run for president.
Mr Scott, who filed the paperwork on Friday, is expected to formally announce his candidacy on Monday.
He is due to make a major announcement at his alma mater, Charleston Southern University. The senator also kicked off a $6 million ad campaign in major primary states on Friday.
Mr. Scott, 57, will join a slate of 2024 GOP presidential candidates that includes former President Donald Trump and fellow South Carolina Republican Nikki Haley, a former UN ambassador.
Republican Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida is also expected to enter the race next week.
Mr. Scott, the only black Republican in the Senate, has signaled that he plans to run as a happy warrior, seeing it as a way to distance himself from Mr. Trump’s no-prisoners approach to politics.