Add another potential late entrant to the GOP primary field: Senate Tea Party leader Jim DeMint.The South Carolina lawmaker told The Hill this week that he is discussing a presidential run with his family and praying on a final decision.
“It’s humbling and out of respect, my wife and I have talked about it,” DeMint said. “Out of respect for the people who have asked us to think about this, that’s what we’re going to do. I don’t want to imply that I’m changing in mind, but I want to consider what all these folks are doing.”
Those close to DeMint, including a spokesman for his PAC, had told reporters in recent months that he was out of the presidential running.But he did leave the door open a crack in an interview in April with CBN, saying that while the presidency is “not something I desire,” he felt he could hold his own with any major political contender.
DeMint gained national recognition as one of the first federal lawmakers to jump on the Tea Party bandwagon after President Obama’s election. His early endorsements of Tea Party-friendly primary contenders like Rand Paul in Kentucky and Marco Rubio in Florida over more established Republicans have earned him strong credibility with conservative activists. But his campaign for a purer Republican party also means he’s upset a lot of key GOP lawmakers and powerbrokers, which could limit his institutional support.
Despite his outsider and ultra-conservative reputation, DeMint spent the 2008 election cycle trying to elect Mitt Romney, whose health care record as governor has made him anathema to many Tea Party activists. His past support for Romney’s health care law could come back to haunt him if he runs.
Nonetheless DeMint’s popularity with social conservatives and Tea Party activists could make him a key player in the primaries, especially in Iowa. He would likely draw votes from similar positioned candidates like Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-MN), Rick Santorum, and — if she runs — Sarah Palin.
Benjy Sarlin
Benjy Sarlin is a reporter for Talking Points Memo and co-writes the campaign blog, TPM2012. He previously reported for The Daily Beast/Newsweek as their Washington Correspondent and covered local politics for the New York Sun.
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