Jim DeMint
| Jim DeMint | |
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2005 Serving with Lindsey Graham |
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| Preceded by | Ernest Hollings |
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| In office January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2005 |
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| Preceded by | Bob Inglis |
| Succeeded by | Bob Inglis |
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| Born | September 2, 1951 Greenville, South Carolina |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | Debbie DeMint |
| Residence | Greenville, South Carolina |
| Alma mater | University of Tennessee, Clemson University |
| Occupation | Marketing consultant |
| Religion | Presbyterian |
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]
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[edit] 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]
[edit] U.S. Senate
[edit] Committee assignments
- Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs
- Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
- Subcommittee on Aviation Operations, Safety, and Security (Ranking Member)
- Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet
- Subcommittee on Competitiveness, Innovation, and Export Promotion
- Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Insurance
- Subcommittee on Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety and Security
- Committee on Foreign Relations
- Joint Economic Committee
- Impeachment Trial Committee on the Articles against Judge G. Thomas Porteous, Jr.[4]
[edit] Political positions
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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]
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] [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]
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.[11]
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[12]
DeMint is a member of the C Street Family, a Christian prayer group which includes mainly Republican members of Congress, but some Democratics, too.[13]
[edit] Political campaigns
[edit] 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]
[edit] 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.[14] 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.[15]
| 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% |
[edit] 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.[16]
[edit] Campaign finances
From 2001 to 2006, DeMint’s largest campaign donors came from retired individuals ($877,062 in donations) and health professionals ($612,923).[17] From 2003 to 2008, his largest donors once again came from retired individuals ($997,861) and health professionals ($697,986).[17]
[edit] Works
Jim DeMint, Saving Freedom: We Can Stop America's Slide into Socialism (Fidelis, Nashville, 2009) ISBN 978-0805449570
[edit] References
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This article uses bare URLs in its references. Please use proper citations containing each referenced work's title, author, date, and source, so that the article remains verifiable in the future. Help may be available. Several templates are available for formatting. |
- ^ "Jim DeMint SC-Senate (R)". 2008 Vote Ratings. National Journal. http://www.nationaljournal.com/2008voteratings?person=400105.
- ^ "demint". Ancestry.com. http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~battle/senators/demint.htm.[unreliable source?]
- ^ Miller, John J. (February 22, 2010). "Senator Tea Party". Hey Miller. http://www.heymiller.com/?p=1141.[self-published source?]
- ^ Senate Democratic Caucus (2010-03-17). "Senate Leaders Announce Bipartisan Committee To Investigate Judge G. Thomas Porteous". Press release. http://democrats.senate.gov/newsroom/record.cfm?id=323186&. Retrieved 2010-04-29.
- ^ Franklin, Charles (March 05, 2007). "National Journal 2006 Liberal/Conservative Scores". Political Arithmetik. http://politicalarithmetik.blogspot.com/2007/03/national-journal-2006.html.[self-published source?]
- ^ "2007 Vote Ratings". National Journal. March 7, 2007. http://www.nationaljournal.com/voteratings/sen/cons.htm.
- ^ a b c "Jim DeMint on the Issues". Ontheissues.org. http://www.ontheissues.org/senate/jim_demint.htm. Retrieved 2010-08-29.
- ^ Senator Jim W. DeMint at Project Vote Smart . Retrieved June 25, 2010.
- ^ Hunt, Albert R. (December 13, 2009). "DeMint's Back-to-Basics Plan for Republicans: Albert R. Hunt". Bloomberg. http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aoEXJFHxKabg.
- ^ 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
- ^ Lee, Carol E. (October 2, 2009). "Democrats target Jim DeMint's Honduras trip". Politico. http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1009/27862.html.
- ^ Carty, Daniel (December 30, 2009). "DeMint: Obama 'Has Downplayed Terrorism'". CBS News. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-6037313-503544.html.
- ^ 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
- ^ Dan Hoover, http://greenvilleonline.com/news/2004/10/06/2004100650449.htm[dead link] "DeMint apologizes after remarks on gays", Greenville News, October 6, 2004
- ^ 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
- ^ "Sen. DeMint relishes role as kingmaker". The Hill. 2010-09-15. http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/119115-sen-demint-relishes-role-as-kingmaker.
- ^ a b "James W. DeMint". Center for Responsive Politics. http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/summary.php?cid=N00002472&cycle=2006.
[edit] External links
- United States Senator James W DeMint official U.S. Senate site
- Jim DeMint for US Senator official campaign site
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Biography at WhoRunsGov.com at The Washington Post
- Congressional profile at GovTrack.us
- Congressional profile at OpenCongress
- Appearances on C-SPAN programs
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- Current Bills Sponsored at StateSurge.com
- Financial information at OpenSecrets.org
- Staff salaries, trips and personal finance at LegiStorm.com
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Collected news and commentary at The New York Times
- Profile at SourceWatch
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Bob Inglis |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from South Carolina's 4th congressional district 1999–2005 |
Succeeded by Bob Inglis |
| United States Senate | ||
| Preceded by Ernest F. "Fritz" Hollings |
United States Senator (Class 3) from South Carolina 2005 – present Served alongside: Lindsey Graham |
Incumbent |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by Bob Inglis |
Republican Party nominee for United States Senator from South Carolina (Class 3) 2004, 2010 |
Succeeded by Current nominee |
| United States order of precedence | ||
| Preceded by Richard Burr R-North Carolina |
United States Senators by seniority 66th |
Succeeded by Tom Coburn R-Oklahoma |
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