U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R-South Carolina) announced today that he will leave the Senate at the beginning of January to become the next president of The Heritage Foundation, the largest and most respected conservative think tank in America.
"It's been an honor to serve the people of South Carolina in United States Senate for the past eight years, but now it's time for me to pass the torch to someone else and take on a new role in the fight for America's future.
"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.
The think tank has an annual budget of more than $80 million and a staff of 250 people. It rose to prominence during the Reagan administration as a source of policy ideas, particularly for shrinking the size and scope of the federal government.
"My constituents know that being a Senator was never going to be my career,” DeMint, 61, said. “I came to Congress as a citizen legislator and I've always been determined to leave it as citizen legislator. South Carolina has a deep bench of conservative leaders and I know Governor Haley will select a great replacement.”
Haley’s appointee will serve until Jan. 3, 2015, following the next general election in November 2014.
DeMint, a conservative Republican from the Upstate, was first elected to the Senate in 2004, after serving three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was re-elected in 2010.