Replacing Sen. Jim DeMint

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC)

Yesterday, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) stunned the political world by announcing his intent to resign from the U.S. Senate in January to accept a job as president of The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank in Washington, DC.  His division to walk away from the Senate comes four years before his second term was to expire and, apparently, two years earlier than most political watchers expected.  DeMint had indicated that he did not plan to run for a third term leaving most observers expecting a 2014 early departure if he did not intend to complete the term.

South Carolina law dictates that the governor shall appoint a replacement.  That means the task falls to Gov. Nikki Haley.  She posted the following on her Facebook page about how she will approach making her choice:

Nothing about that statement should be surprising to anyone.  She's the governor, she's Republican and to think she would appoint someone who was not Republican or of like mind would be naive.  Here's what stands out: "I will appoint a person who has the same philosophy of government that Jim DeMint and I share."  First, if Jim DeMint wants to ensure someone who shares his philosophy is in the seat, he should stay.  I am not a fan of DeMint's politics but he was elected by a majority of South Carolina voters.