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Candidate Profile from Congressional QuarterlyJim DeMint (R) of GreenvilleOpen Seat
Jim DeMint easily won the seat of his former boss, GOP Rep. Bob Inglis, in this conservative district that has been nick-named the "buckle of the Bible Belt.'' Inglis left the seat to run for the Senate. DeMint worked with Inglis for many years as a volunteer and political consultant. This was his first run for political office. He holds a master's degree in business administration and before the election ran his own market-research company. Like Inglis, DeMint has promised not to take money from political action committees and to serve no more than three terms in the House. DeMint is pro-business and calls himself "an all-around conservative.'' Once in Congress, he plans to focus on economic issues, such as taxes, Social Security and the health care system. "I'm under the umbrella of individual freedom. Too much of our money and power has been taken out of the hands of the individual and moved to Washington," DeMint said. "There's too much dependency on the government." DeMint backs personal Social Security accounts, personal medical savings accounts and wants to scrap the tax code in favor of a national sales tax. He fears that the more citizens become dependent on federal programs, the closer the country will move toward a "socialistic state." DeMint says he wants to win a seat on the Ways and Means Committee, from which he can focus on tax issues. He also is seeking a seat on the Judiciary Committee, where he hopes to work on tort reform.
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