[h=3]A Wall Street Journal Roundup[/h]Republican Sen. Jim DeMint said Thursday he plans to leave the Senate in January to run the conservative Heritage Foundation.
Mr. DeMint, the South Carolina junior senator who was re-elected in 2010, had said he wouldn't run for another term, but his sudden departure was a surprise. Mr. DeMint is a tea-party icon who has long argued that GOP leaders have let Washington change them—pursuing compromise at the expense of ideals.
In a statement, Mr. DeMint said: "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."
Roll Call/Getty ImagesSen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., at the Capitol
He added: "One of the most rewarding things I've done in the Senate is work with the grassroots to help elect a new generation of leaders who have the courage to fight for the principles of freedom that make this country so great. I'm confident these senators will continue the legacy of conservative leaders before them."
Mr. DeMint, 61 years old, will succeed Edwin J. Feulner, 71, as president of the Heritage Foundation.
Republican Gov. Nikki Haley gets to appoint his successor to the Senate. She gave no immediate indication who she might choose, according to the Associated Press.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal editorial page's Dan Henninger published Thursday ahead of the official announcement, Mr. DeMint said: "This is an urgent time, because we saw in the last election we were not able to communicate conservative ideas that win elections."
In the interview, Mr. DeMint said he will "protect the integrity of Heritage's research and not politicize the policy component. Heritage is not just another grassroots political group."
The Heritage Foundation has a staff of 250 and an annual budget of more than $80 million.
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. It remains active on all fronts of the conservative movement, including foreign policy, social policy and economic and fiscal issues.
Mr. DeMint, the South Carolina junior senator who was re-elected in 2010, had said he wouldn't run for another term, but his sudden departure was a surprise. Mr. DeMint is a tea-party icon who has long argued that GOP leaders have let Washington change them—pursuing compromise at the expense of ideals.
In a statement, Mr. DeMint said: "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."
Roll Call/Getty ImagesSen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., at the Capitol
He added: "One of the most rewarding things I've done in the Senate is work with the grassroots to help elect a new generation of leaders who have the courage to fight for the principles of freedom that make this country so great. I'm confident these senators will continue the legacy of conservative leaders before them."
Mr. DeMint, 61 years old, will succeed Edwin J. Feulner, 71, as president of the Heritage Foundation.
Republican Gov. Nikki Haley gets to appoint his successor to the Senate. She gave no immediate indication who she might choose, according to the Associated Press.
In an interview with The Wall Street Journal editorial page's Dan Henninger published Thursday ahead of the official announcement, Mr. DeMint said: "This is an urgent time, because we saw in the last election we were not able to communicate conservative ideas that win elections."
In the interview, Mr. DeMint said he will "protect the integrity of Heritage's research and not politicize the policy component. Heritage is not just another grassroots political group."
The Heritage Foundation has a staff of 250 and an annual budget of more than $80 million.
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. It remains active on all fronts of the conservative movement, including foreign policy, social policy and economic and fiscal issues.