Jim DeMint (Patrick Semansky/AP)
South Carolina Republican Sen. Jim DeMint will give up his seat in the Senate in January to lead The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, D.C., the senator announced 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 since its founding 36 years ago.
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.
Republican Study Committee Chairman Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio said in 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."
"Senator 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. "Senator 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.
South Carolina Republican Gov. Nikki Haley will be tasked with choosing a replacement senator to temporarily serve until a special election is held to choose a permanent successor.
"South Carolina has a deep bench of conservative leaders and I know Governor Haley will select a great replacement," DeMint said of the succession process.
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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