South Carolina Senator Endorses Mitt Romney for President

Washington, DC (TLS) The groundwork for Campaign '08 is already being laid. Senator Jim DeMint (shown above), R-SC, has announced that he will support Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney in his bid for the Republican Presidential nomination.

DeMint breaks ranks with his fellow South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who worked for the nomination of John McCain in 2000 and is expected to be solidly behind the Senator in '08. Graham's support for McCain will carry weight in the state of South Carolina. South Carolinians give Graham high marks, and he remains very popular. The question is can such support translate into votes for McCain in the primary. That remains to be seen.

While McCain has some support, some Republicans are leery of him, and with good reason. Gun Owners of America rates the Arizona Senator with an 'F-' when it comes to 2nd Amendment rights. McCain is also known for his disdain for the 'religious right,' which wields an enormous amount of power in this Bible Belt state.

And this is why South Carolinians may turn out to prefer Mitt Romney. Romney is a Mormon, a fact that initially may raise eyebrows among the brethren. There are some within the conservative Christian community that consider the Latter Day Saints as a cult rather than a Christian denomination. However, Romney's values and views will resonate in South Carolina, particularly with the Republican base and the religious right.

However, there are questions. Where does Romney stand on the 2nd Amendment? Jim DeMint rates a grade of 'A' from Gun Owners of America, even higher than Lindsey Graham's grade of 'B.' DeMint would hardly support someone who hinted at further restricting a right that the Founders considered central to the preservation of liberty. However, there is Romney's flip-flop on the abortion issue, which some say was a political decision to appease a very liberal state (Massachusetts) where abortion rights are considered as sacred as Senator Blowhard's hair. And does Romney view marriage as a sacred commitment between a man and a woman? His religious affiliation would suggest that he does.

Romney has plenty of factors in his favor. He is articulate, well-groomed and dressed, intelligent, and charismatic. He has served the state of Massachusetts as Governor, managing to work successfully with some of the most liberal politicians in the country, and yet maintain his core conservative principles. As Americans get to know him, he may well turn out to be exactly the thing Americans are looking for in 2008. That remains to be seen.

But as for now, the two South Carolina Senators are divided--Graham for McCain and DeMint for Romney. It will be interesting to see how this scenario plays out when it is time to launch the campaign in earnest.