Jim DeMint (Patrick Semansky/AP)
South Carolina Republican Jim DeMint will give up his Senate seat in the beginning of January to lead the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, D.C., the senator announced on Thursday.
DeMint, a well-known conservative who was re-elected to a second term in 2010, will replace Heritage President Edwin J. Feulner, who has led the organization for 35 years.
From DeMint's?statement released Thursday morning:
I'm leaving the Senate now, but I'm not leaving the fight. I've decided to join The Heritage Foundation at a time when the conservative movement needs strong leadership in the battle of ideas. No organization is better equipped to lead this fight and I believe my experience in public office as well as in the private sector as a business owner will help Heritage become even more effective in the years to come.
He added: "My constituents know that being a Senator was never going to be my career."
Conservatives expressed bittersweet sentiments in reaction to the news.
From South Carolina Republican Gov. Nikki Haley:
Our state's loss is the Heritage Foundation's gain. I wish Jim and Heritage all the best in continuing our shared commitment to America's greatness.
Republican Study Committee Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio said in a statement, "It is disappointing to lose his strong voice in the Senate, but I look forward to his continued conservative leadership at the helm of The Heritage Foundation. The folks at Heritage are an indispensable ideas factory for conservatives in Congress. South Carolina's loss is the country's gain."
"Sen. DeMint has done more to advance the cause of freedom and liberty in Congress than anyone else since his election,"?Club for Growth President Chris Chocola also said in a statement. "Sen. DeMint is a champion of economic freedom, a defender of free markets, and one of the strongest allies the Club for Growth has had in the United States Senate. We wish him nothing but the best in his new role at Heritage."
DeMint's Senate Conservatives Fund was an influential force in the past two election cycles, often putting him directly at odds with his less-conservative incumbent colleagues.
DeMint's personal financial disclosure statements show he's nearly the least-affluent lawmaker in the U.S. Senate? ranked 98th out of 100 members by the Center for Responsive Politics for 2010 (the most recent year available)?with an estimated net worth between $16,002 to $65,000.
Haley will be tasked with choosing a replacement senator to temporarily serve until a special election is held to choose a permanent successor.
Rep. Tim Scott's name was immediately circulated in the wake of the news as DeMint's preferred successor. Scott is a conservative, African-American popular with Tea Party activists.
"Looking forward, Governor Haley will now appoint a new Senator, and I know she will make the right choice both for South Carolina and the nation," Scott said in a statement Thursday.
"South Carolina has a deep bench of conservative leaders, and I know Gov. Haley will select a great replacement," DeMint publicly said of the succession process in his statement.
The special election is likely to attract candidates interested in running against Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who is up for re-election in 2014 and has been the target of hard-line conservatives.
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