In April, former Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) will succeed Ed Feulner as President of The Heritage Foundation. Feulner has served as Heritage's president for more than three decades.
DeMint is a principled conservative who worked closely with Heritage during his 14 years of service in Congress. He even credits Heritage with getting him first interested in politics when he was running a small business.
DeMint has spent most of his life as an entrepreneur, building and running his own research and marketing firm. He will bring this experience to Heritage as he seeks to strengthen and revive the conservative movement.
Since he resigned from the Senate in January, DeMint has served as Heritage's president-elect. He is spending the transition period learning about Heritage's four-decade history of policy innovation, meeting conservative leaders and Heritage members across the nation, and plotting the next steps in helping to lead the conservative movement.
Heritage's plan to strengthen and revive the conservative movement
Reaching all Americans with conservatives' 'bold, positive ideas'
Speaking to Heritage members in New York, Jim DeMint said conservatives should continue to push for "bold, positive ideas" based on timeless, American, conservative principles.
This means showing the American people that our principles work at all levels of government. States have not only served as sources of innovative new ideas -- as in Wisconsin under Scott Walker -- but they are also where most decisions ought to be made in our constitutional republic.
Too often, Washington politicians act based on what's popular, not what's right. But local politicians often have the ability to take bolder stands.
States like Wisconsin, Texas, and Michigan have shown our ideas can make a real difference for Americans. If we can demonstrate the effectiveness of conservative government at the state level, that can help us rejuvenate our movement nationally.
What they're saying about Jim DeMint and Heritage
"This is a major event for the country and for conservatism."— Rush Limbaugh, radio host
"His conservative credentials are sterling."— Ed Feulner, The Heritage Foundation
"There is no better person to take Ed Feulner's job. It is a marvelous transition."— Erick Erickson, redstate.com
"Heritage just became a far more intimidating entity within the debates in Washington."— Ben Domenech, The Transom
Connecting with grassroots conservatives and Heritage supporters
As a conservative, Jim DeMint knows the best ideas come from outside the Beltway. And as a marketer, he knows conservatives have to connect with the American people.
That's why he is making it a priority to meet with grassroots Americans from all across the country.
Since joining Heritage in January, Jim DeMint has already crisscrossed America to meet with conservative Americans, including Heritage Foundation members. He plans to continue this outreach with new events throughout the year. He will talk about the principles America needs to get back on track and his vision to put these principles in place.
Watch a video about the just completed the Presidents' Tour:
How you can join with Heritage and Jim DeMint during this watershed moment for conservatives
In the coming months, Jim DeMint and Heritage will be working on new ways to inspire the American people and revive the conservative movement.
Now is the time for you to get involved, during this important period for Heritage and the conservative movement. Simply add your name to the form on the right.
By adding your e-mail address, you will also receive free daily updates from Heritage experts on the day's most important issues, stories of conservative policy successes, and exposés on the failure of liberal big government programs. And we'll send you regular updates on Jim DeMint's plans.