WASHINGTON -- Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) announced on Thursday he will retire from the Senate and head off to run the Heritage Foundation, the preeminent conservative think tank in Washington, D.C.
The South Carolinian leaves quite the legacy, having pushed the type of purity politics that forced Republican members to consistently exhibit their conservative credentials. It also contributed to some of the massive amounts of gridlock in the Senate. Perhaps DeMint's most memorable moment in President Barack Obama's first term was when he declared that the pursuit of comprehensive health care reform could be become the administration's Waterloo.
How much his actions ended up benefiting the Republican Party isn't exactly clear. Health care reform, for example, ended up becoming law. And with respect to demanding purity among his fellow lawmakers, DeMint ended up with both major breakthroughs and notable misfires. While he was instrumental in the election of Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.), some of his picks have backfired, handing Democrats victories.
Below is a list of the candidates that his Senate Conservatives Fund political action committee endorsed, as well as a slideshow of candidates whose races were notably shaped by DeMint.
Candidates endorsed by the Senate Conservatives Fund (data from OpenSecrets.org):
Oklahoma, Senate, 2010
Missouri, Senate, 2012
Texas, Senate, 2012
Virginia, Senate, 2012
Arizona, Senate, 2012
Nevada, Senate, 2010
Nebraska, Senate, 2012
Maryland, Senate, 2012
Wisconsin, Senate, 2010
Colorado, Senate, 2010
Utah, Senate, 2012
Ohio, Senate, 2012
Kentucky, Senate, 2010
Alaska, Senate, 2010
Florida, Senate, 2010
Indiana, Senate, 2012
Indiana, House, 2010
Delaware, Senate, 2010
Pennsylvania, Senate, 2010
West Virginia, Senate, 2010
Washington, Senate, 2010
Pennsylvania, Senate, 2012
California, Senate, 2010 (lost primary)
New Hampshire, Senate, 2010 (lost primary)
Wisconsin, Senate, 2012 (lost primary)
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