Meet Tim Scott’s not-so-secret fiancée, Mindy Noce: Donald Trump’s would-be vice-president was a self-confessed virgin at 30 … but now the senator has met his ‘soulmate’, ‘a lovely Christian girl’

Feb 2 , 2024

US senator Tim Scott (right) – aspiring potential vice-president to Donald Trump – and interior designer Mindy Noce initially bonded over Bible study, and announced their engagement this month. Photos: Instagram

US senator Tim Scott – who made headlines as Donald Trump’s potential pick for vice-president – had a secret girlfriend between May and November 2023, when he revealed his partner to be Mindy Noce

An interior designer with real estate firm Atlantic Properties, Noce is also a mother of three who is as guarded about her private life as her fiancé – who she initially bonded with over Bible study

You’d think that senator Tim Scott of South Carolina would be making headlines as Donald Trump’s rumoured potential pick for US vice-president. Instead, it’s for the fact that his not-so-secret girlfriend, Mindy Noce, is now his fiancée.

Scott – who in his 30s was a self-professed virgin saving himself for marriage – has faced scrutiny for his relationship status throughout much of his career, with many going as far as to speculate about his sexuality. Not only are bachelor politicians rare, they don’t tend to do well in US political circles. So when Scott introduced his partner to the world last year, interest in his love life intensified.

Meet the woman who Scott has described as “a lovely Christian girl”, per Politico.

Tim Scott’s secret girlfriend

“I have developed a passion for home design. Specifically, renovating and designing homes with coastal elements and modern flair,” Mindy Noce shared with her followers in March 2023. Photo: @mindynoce/Instagram

Back in the 90s, Scott, now 58, was described as a “proud 30-year-old virgin” in the press. He famously confessed to being a virgin, referring to Bible verses stating that sex before marriage is immoral. Asked in 2012 if he was still following his pledge of abstinence, Scott replied, per Vanity Fair, “Not as well as I did back then.”

So when he mentioned a girlfriend in May 2023 but refused to identify her, intense speculation unsurprisingly followed. Did he really have a girlfriend? If so, why was he hiding her?

Mindy Noce’s political debut

Mindy Noce in a headshot for Atlantic Properties, the property firm she works for. Photo: @atlanticproperties/Instagram

When you’re a senator who is also a possible Republican vice-presidential nominee, there’s no better opportunity to introduce your girlfriend than at a primary debate … right? Scott brought Noce, 47, onstage to pose for a picture after a primary debate in Miami last November. Per Politico – who headlined its story “Tim Scott’s girlfriend is, in fact, real” – it was not clear to viewers who Noce was until the couple started holding hands.

It was the first time the world glimpsed Scott’s girlfriend and the seemingly carefully planned introduction created a firestorm on social media, with online sleuths immediately trying to find out who she was.

How did Tim Scott and Mindy Noce meet?

Mindy Noce is a design and renovations manager for South Carolina-based Atlantic Properties. Photo: @atlanticproperties/Instagram