Posted on 03/15/2010 3:55:23 PM PDT by TitansAFC
DeMint Not Sold On Romney As 2012 Approaches
Sen. Jim DeMint told CNN Monday that he isn’t sure if he would endorse Mitt Romney for president if he decided to run.
Charleston, South Carolina (CNN) - Sen. Jim DeMint, R-South Carolina, was one of Mitt Romney's top backers during the 2008 presidential campaign – a key endorsement that helped the former Massachusetts governor boost his profile among conservatives.
But if Romney decides to run for president again in 2012, a prospect that seems likely, he might have to do so without DeMint's support.
DeMint told CNN Monday he isn't sure he'll endorse Romney this time around - even though Romney was recently in South Carolina raising money for the senator's re-election bid.
"Mitt is still near the top of my list of candidates, but I want to look and see who steps up to the plate," DeMint said after a fundraiser with Florida Senate candidate Marco Rubio. "Frankly I think we need to wait until after the 2010 election to see what happens in Congress."
Asked to name some candidates he might support instead, DeMint pointed to Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, marking the second time he has floated the fiscally conservative governor as a potential White House candidate.
"When I look at what he's doing in Indiana, it suggests that he can make hard decisions and he understands how to run things," DeMint said.
"By the next election, Americans are going to be looking for an accomplished leader who has a proven record, who can really get things done," he said. "I'm not sure that person has emerged yet. But there are a few on the horizon."
DeMint, who is up for a second term in November, also addressed speculation that he might want to lead the Republican ticket in 2012.
"I don't want to be president," DeMint told reporters. "The fact is, anyone who really wants to be president right now doesn't understand how much trouble we are in as a country.
"I think it's time we have a candidate for president who tells people the federal government has to do less not more," he explained. "I am not sure America is ready for that type of candidate but we need that kind of candidate right now."
1.) Jim DeMint not as solidly behind Romney as he was in 2008.
2.) Jim DeMint rules himself out as a potential 2012 candidate.
3.) Demint seems to imply he will back Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels if he runs.
Sounds like DeMint is not really conservative
Mitch Daniels is the ultimate Corporate Socialist.....sold the Indiana taxpayer built toll roads to a private company...jacked up rates on the tolls....which means Indiana residents have to pay more for goods because the transport companies pay higher tolls.
Daniels would be a bigger Corporate Socialist/Business Socialist than GWB.....you will get TARP 2 TARP 3 with Daniels....not a real conservative
Nana Not Sold On Romney As 2012 Approaches
FYI — not exactly a surprise.
Isn’t DeMint a favorite among the FR palin-haters?
“sold the Indiana taxpayer built toll roads to a private company”
sounds like capitalism to me.
Jim DeMint, what a RINO for endorsing Romney in 2008.
But in 2012, Romney is the worst possible candidate we could choose because healthcare (or more exactly, stopping healthcare) has become the central issue of the next campaign... the one issue Romney is weakest on.
We have to have a candidate in 2012 that was, is and always has been against government involvement in healthcare.
It doesn't sound like he is ruling himself out based on that statement. Jim DeMint for President.
But seriously folks. The two guys I supported in '08 were Thompson and Romney. I haven't ruled MR out in 2012, but I am undecided as to WHO I'd support in 2012.
I frankly do not think Sarah will run, choosing rather to be a power broker and/or spokesperson for the conservative wing of the conservative party. :)
I am disappointed DeMint isn't going for it...Tom Coburn and Jim Inhofe are solid conservatives whom I like. I also like Bobby Jindal.
We'll just have to see. Besides, anyone who "has their mind made up" about supporting ONLY ONE candidate is spittin' in the wind.
I do know I won't vote for:
Charlie Crist
John McCain
Lindsey Graham
and I'd have to think long and hard about any elected Republican from the northeast--even though I like Judd Gregg and Scott Brown.
I’m sold on Romney...
Sold on the fact he is a flip-flopping, gay-loving, gun-grabbing, culture-of-death-supporting, big-government-loving liar with a penchant for dying his hair dark except for the temples...in other words he’s a phony baloney good time charley.
DeMint has to say he's not interested, since he's up for reelection this year.
I recall reading that he hired Amanda Carpenter recently as a press secretary.
DeMint is "splitting not just from Graham, but from Sanford and perhaps leading some of the Bush faction that doesn't want to go over to McCain," said Larry Sabato, director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics. McCain "is not conservative enough for many of the conservative Republicans of South Carolina."
Seriously?
That's pretty cut and dry. In fact, that's about as cut-and-dry a statement on the issue as I've ever heard from a candidate. That's as much of a 100% ruling-out as there's ever been, and that's before the direct mention of guy(s) he would support in 2012.
Jim Demint is 100% not running for President in 2012. To believe otherwise now is on par with Ron Paul backers REALLY believing he'll win the primary - it's a denial of a reality.
This is great news. We need people like DeMint and Paul Ryan to remain in Congress. I don’t want a bunch of Senators and Congresscritters running for President like in 2008. Let our next presidential candidate be a Governor - and DeMint should start paying attention to the Palin speeches and her single-handedly trying to stop the Obama/Dem agenda. I don’t see Daniels criticizing Obama. In fact, Daniels has all the charisma of plywood.
IMO we really should be looking at good conservative governors for 2012. They have track records of executive experience & can make decisions.
Most importantly, they are from outside of the DC cesspool.
We have to remember that by the time 2012 gets here, we will have suffered through 3 more years of BO. Even though we can certainly slow it down if we get it right this November, it’s hard to even imagine what the country will be like after few more years of this.
Being an outsider could be a huge plus.
Yes but I thought he left Free Republic?
Harrison County (IN) Straw poll results Dec. 13, 2009:
"Sarah Palin, interestingly, beat Mitch Daniels (who was also listed as a 2012 presidential candidate) by better than two-to-one."In his own state...
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