Free Republic

"Excited" after a meeting Thursday with Mitt Romney, tea party favorite Sen. Jim DeMint urged fellow Republicans to be realistic and rally around the party's eventual nominee, making his plea the same day the ex-governor's chief rival suggested voters would be as well off with President Barack Obama as they would Romney. In addition to fundraising events, Romney was in Washington to hold talks with DeMint as well as legislators from Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, which hold primaries next month. The legislators included House Budget Committee chairman Paul Ryan, according to GOP aides. "I'm not only comfortable with Romney, I'm excited...

WASHINGTON -- Jim DeMint, among the nation's conservative leaders, stopped just short Thursday of endorsing Mitt Romney for president as the South Carolina senator called on the former Massachusetts governor's foes to re-evaluate their campaigns. DeMint's appeal for Republicans to focus on defeating President Barack Obama came a day after former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, another influential conservative, endorsed Romney and urged party unity. "What I can tell conservatives from my perspective is that I'm not only comfortable with Romney, I'm excited about the possibility of him possibly becoming our nominee," DeMint told reporters on Capitol Hill. At a time...

Sen. Jim DeMint, whose push for more conservative senate candidates in the 2010 cycle lead to several primary challenges, is open to endorsing Mitt Romney. “I endorsed Romney last time, and I think he’s a good candidate,” DeMint tells National Review Online today in an office visit. “I’m not going to hold any one or two things against a candidate that they’ve done. I’ve had some bum votes in my life.” Instead of a perfect voting record, DeMint is looking for “the ability to inspire and show some courage and I think, take on our own party in some cases.”...

Washington (CNN) - With the Republican base largely unified in its contempt for President Obama's health care law, Sen. Jim DeMint, an icon of the tea party movement, has been forced to explain his early support for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's health care plan, which was a model for reform on the federal level. The South Carolinian cited the "innovative" Massachusetts health care plan when he endorsed Romney's 2008 presidential bid, saying the plan leveraged "good conservative ideas" like bringing private insurance companies into the process. DeMint told CNN over the weekend at the Republican Leadership Conference in New...

Washington pundits have assumed that Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., can’t stomach former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney’s moderate views and thus won’t support him for president. Not so fast, says the conservative powerhouse, The Hill reports. “I haven’t stricken anybody off my list, or put anybody on it, really,” said DeMint, who backed Romney last time around. “And it’s going to be several months before I look at endorsing."

South Carolina U.S. Senator Jim DeMint dipped his toe into the debate taking place concerning the 2012 Republican presidential election, offering his thoughts on former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. “One of the reasons I endorsed Romney [in 2008] is his attempts to make private health insurance available at affordable prices,” said Sen. Jim DeMint. Mr. Romney, who has received criticism from Republican leaders in recent weeks, seemed to find a supportive voice from the Republican U.S. Senator. Blaming Massachusetts Democrats, Mr. DeMint seemed to present Mr. Romney with a political strategy to address concerns over his support of the Massachusetts...