Jim DeMint

James Warren DeMint (born September 2, 1951) is an American businessman, author, and retired politician who served as a United States senator from South Carolina and as president of The Heritage Foundation. A leading figure in the Tea Party movement, DeMint is a member of the Republican Party and is the founder of the Senate Conservatives Fund. DeMint served as the United States representative for South Carolina's 4th congressional district from 1999 to 2005. He was elected to the U.S. Senate from South Carolina in 2004 and reelected in 2010. DeMint served in the Senate until January 2, 2013, when he stepped down to become president of The Heritage Foundation. On May 2, 2017, DeMint resigned his position at Heritage at the request of its board. He later became a senior advisor to Citizens for Self-Governance and the founding chairman of the Conservative Partnership Institute.