The one name that might be able to seal the election for Mitt Romney is probably one of the only names I haven’t heard even thrown around by pundits on both sides of the aisle.  They seem to be hugely overlooking South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint.  Why is he being overlooked?  He has one of if not the most conservative record in the Senate.  He’s from a Southern state, a demographic that Romney desperately needs.  Most of all, though, DeMint is genuine; a rare quality in politicians today.

His voting record in the Senate is spectacular– voted against Sonia Sotomayor’s appointment to the Supreme Court; against Ben Bernanke’s appointment as Federal Reserve Chairman; voted for a Federal Reserve audit; against Elena Kagan’s appointment to the Supreme Court; against the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell; voted for a Balanced Budget amendment; voted for the Keystone XL Pipeline Project; and voted for a bill that would prohibit insider trading by members of Congress.  Perhaps most impressively, DeMint led the fight against banning earmarks in 2009-2010.  He was prepared to call for a vote in late 2010, even with the expressive disagreement of Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell, and after hearing the public support for DeMint’s plan, McConnell actually flipped (surprise!).  He announced his support for DeMint’s bill the day before the Senate would vote on it.  That’s the kind of influence DeMint is capable of; he created a bill, got it out there, and people respond positively to it.

Before the 2010 midterm election, DeMint created the Senate Conservatives Fund, an organization that would only endorse truly conservative candidates for the Senate.  Because of the help of SCF, we now have Senators such as Marco Rubio, Rand Paul, and Mike Lee, among many others.

I’m not saying that Jim DeMint is perfect; he is not.  However, I do think he would have a tremendous impact on the Presidential race as Romney’s #2.  Why not?  He’s from a Southern state; he has been in the Senate for eight years, so he has experience; and he resonates with voters.  He’s a genuine person who understands the problems that we are facing.  He doesn’t sit in his office all day and dream up ways to fix the mess we’re in; he goes out and meets with constituents, allowing them to voice their concerns to him, and uses their opinions to create solutions.  What about Jim DeMint makes him an unappealing VP?  Nothing I can find.  I think he’d be one of if not the best possible choice for Romney.  If we want him on the short list, though, we have to push for him.  Feel free to re-print this article on whatever other sites you contribute to so we can spread the word!  (But please link it back to www.nextgenerationvoters.com.)

Jim DeMint would be someone we can count on as our Vice-President.  He’s my top pick for Romney’s running mate.