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Jim DeMint

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Jim DeMint
United States Senator
from South Carolina
Incumbent
Assumed office
January 3, 2005
Serving with Lindsey Graham
Preceded byErnest Hollings
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from South Carolina's 4th district
In office
January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2005
Preceded byBob Inglis
Succeeded byBob Inglis
Personal details
Political partyRepublican
SpouseDebbie DeMint
Residence(s)Greenville, South Carolina
Alma materUniversity of Tennessee, Clemson University
OccupationMarketing consultant

James Warren "Jim" DeMint (born September 2, 1951) is the junior United States Senator from South Carolina, having served since 2005. He previously represented South Carolina's 4th congressional district from 1999 to 2005. DeMint is ranked by some as one of the most conservative members of the Senate.[1]

Early life, education and career

DeMint was born in Greenville, South Carolina, one of four children. His parents, Betty W. (née Rawlings) and Thomas Eugene DeMint,[2] divorced when he was five. DeMint's mother operated a dance studio. He was educated at Christ Church Episcopal School and Wade Hampton High School in Greenville. DeMint played drums for a cover band called Salt & Pepper.[3] He received a bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee and an M.B.A. from Clemson University.

Prior to entering politics, DeMint worked in the field of market research. In 1983, he founded his own research firm, the DeMint Group. He was president of this corporation until 1998 when he entered Congress.[citation needed]

U.S. Senate

Committee assignments

Political positions

DeMint's main work has been opposing the increase of Federal government spending. He was opposed to federal bailouts for banks and other corporations. [5][6]

Jim DeMint speaking at CPAC.

Senator DeMint has been a consistent supporter of school prayer and has introduced legislation that would allow schools to display banners such as one stating "God Bless America".[7]

DeMint opposes abortion, including in cases of rape and incest, and approves of abortion only when the mother's life is in danger.[7][8]

DeMint considers homosexuality “immoral” and cringes at the notion of there being a gay or lesbian US president.[9]Demint opposes having an unmarried woman who is having sexual relations or an openly gay person from teaching in the public schools. [10]

DeMint favors requiring all illegal immigrants in the United States to return to their home countries and apply for legal residency.[citation needed] He is in favor of establishing English as the country's official language.[7]

On February 6, 2008 DeMint was joined by senators Saxby Chambliss, Tom Coburn, John Cornyn, James Inhofe, and David Vitter for the introduction of the Semper Fi Act of 2008 which would strip federal funding from Berkeley, California in response to the Berkeley Marine Corps Recruiting Center controversy. The bill would have eliminated $2.1 million in earmarks for the city and the University of California, Berkeley and would have instead directed the funds to the Marine Corps Recruiting Fund. The bill was defeated by a 74-25 vote, however the Mayor of Berkeley eventually apologized to the Marines for the city's actions.[11]

Jim DeMint speaking at rally for United States Senate candidate Rand Paul in October 2010.

DeMint went to Honduras in 2009 and met with de facto president Roberto Micheletti, a meeting that was opposed by President Obama's administration. The United States officially viewed ousted president Manuel Zelaya as the legitimately elected president.[12]

Following an attempted terrorist attack on December 25, 2009, DeMint criticized President Barack Obama for lacking focus on terrorism since taking office and for failing to appoint a head of the Transportation Security Administration[13]

DeMint is a member of the C Street Family, a Christian prayer group which includes mainly Republican members of Congress, but some Democratics, too.[14]

Political campaigns

1998 through 2002

In 1998, Fourth District Congressman Bob Inglis kept his promise to serve only three terms, by running against Senator Fritz Hollings. DeMint won the Republican primary for the district, which includes Greenville and Spartanburg. He then went on to win the general election in November. The district is considered the most Republican in the state, and he did not face a serious or well-funded Democratic opponent in 1998 or in his two re-election campaigns in 2000 and 2002.[citation needed]

2004

Main article: United States Senate election in South Carolina, 2004

DeMint declared his candidacy for the Senate on December 12, 2002, after Hollings announced that he would retire after the 2004 elections. DeMint was supposedly the White House's preferred candidate in the Republican primary.

In the Republican primary on June 8, 2004 DeMint placed a distant second, 18 percentage points behind former governor David Beasley. DeMint won the runoff handily, however.

DeMint then faced Democratic state education superintendent Inez Tenenbaum in the November general election. DeMint led Tenenbaum through much of the campaign and ultimately defeated her by 9.6 percentage points. DeMint's win meant that South Carolina was represented by two Republican Senators for the first time since Reconstruction, when Thomas J. Robertson and John J. Patterson served together as Senators.

DeMint stirred controversy during debates with Tenenbaum when he stated his belief that openly gay people should not be allowed to teach in public schools. When questioned by reporters, DeMint also stated that single mothers who live with their boyfriends should similarly be excluded from being educators. He later apologized for making the remarks, saying they were "distracting from the main issues of the debate." He also noted that these were opinions based on his personal values, not issues he would or could deal with as a member of Congress.[15] In a 2008 interview, he said that while government does not have the right to restrict homosexuality, it also should not encourage it through legalizing same-sex marriage, due to the "costly secondary consequences" to society from the prevalence of certain diseases among homosexuals.[16]

Jim DeMint (R) 53.7%
Inez Tenenbaum (D) 44.1%
Patrick Tyndall (Constitution) 0.8%
Rebekah Sutherland (Libertarian) 0.7%
Tee Ferguson (United Citizens Party) 0.4%
Efia Nwangaza (Green) 0.3%

2010

Main article: United States Senate election in South Carolina, 2010

DeMint won re-nomination in the Republican Party primary. Democratic Party opponent Alvin Greene won an upset victory over Vic Rawl, who was heavily favored. Due to various electoral discrepancies, Greene is receiving scrutiny from Democratic Party officials, with some calling for Greene to withdraw or be replaced.[citation needed]

If DeMint wins his reelection bid, he plans to retire in 2016.[17]

Campaign finances

From 2001 to 2006, DeMint’s largest campaign donors came from retired individuals ($877,062 in donations) and health professionals ($612,923).[18] From 2003 to 2008, his largest donors once again came from retired individuals ($997,861) and health professionals ($697,986).[18]

Works

Jim DeMint, Saving Freedom: We Can Stop America's Slide into Socialism (Fidelis, Nashville, 2009) ISBN 978-0805449570

References

  1. ^ "Jim DeMint SC-Senate (R)". 2008 Vote Ratings. National Journal.
  2. ^ "demint". Ancestry.com.[unreliable source?]
  3. ^ Miller, John J. (February 22, 2010). "Senator Tea Party". Hey Miller.[self-published source?]
  4. ^ "Senate Leaders Announce Bipartisan Committee To Investigate Judge G. Thomas Porteous" (Press release). Senate Democratic Caucus. 2010-03-17. Retrieved 2010-04-29.
  5. ^ Franklin, Charles (March 05, 2007). "National Journal 2006 Liberal/Conservative Scores". Political Arithmetik. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)[self-published source?]
  6. ^ "2007 Vote Ratings". National Journal. March 7, 2007.
  7. ^ a b c "Jim DeMint on the Issues". Ontheissues.org. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
  8. ^ Senator Jim W. DeMint at Project Vote Smart . Retrieved June 25, 2010.
  9. ^ Hunt, Albert R. (December 13, 2009). "DeMint's Back-to-Basics Plan for Republicans: Albert R. Hunt". Bloomberg.
  10. ^ Spartanburg Herald Journal, Oct 2010, Sen Jim Demint Says Gays Should Not Be Teachers in Public Schools, http://www.goupstate.com/article/20101002/ARTICLES/10021004?p=2&tc=pg
  11. ^ "Berkeley, Calif., Mayor Apologizes to Military Members Following Flap Over Council Vote". Fox News Channel. February 08, 2008. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ Lee, Carol E. (October 2, 2009). "Democrats target Jim DeMint's Honduras trip". Politico.
  13. ^ Carty, Daniel (December 30, 2009). "DeMint: Obama 'Has Downplayed Terrorism'". CBS News.
  14. ^ Salon, http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2009/07/21/c_street, Sex and Power Inside the C Street House, July 21 2009, accessed Sept 29 2010
  15. ^ Dan Hoover, http://greenvilleonline.com/news/2004/10/06/2004100650449.htm[dead link] "DeMint apologizes after remarks on gays", Greenville News, October 6, 2004
  16. ^ Demint, Jim, Remarks to Diane Rehm, 'The Diane Rehm Show', National Public Radio, January 31, 2008 http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2008-01-31/senator-jim-demint-why-we-whisper-rowman-littlefield
  17. ^ "Sen. DeMint relishes role as kingmaker". The Hill. 2010-09-15.
  18. ^ a b "James W. DeMint". Center for Responsive Politics.
U.S. House of Representatives

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U.S. Senate
Preceded by U.S. senator (Class 3) from South Carolina
2005–present
Served alongside: Lindsey Graham 		Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by Republican Party nominee for United States Senator from South Carolina (Class 3)
2004, 2010 		Succeeded by
Current nominee
U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial)
Preceded by United States Senators by seniority
66th 		Succeeded by

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