South Carolina U.S. Senator Jim DeMint slammed former Utah governor current Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman Sunday, saying he will not support him.
“For me, he’s out,” Mr. DeMint said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”
Mr. DeMint, a favorite within the Tea Party, said Mr. Huntsman reluctance to sign a “cut, cap, balance” pledge to slash spending and balance the budget leaves him no choice.
The South Carolina Republican, who is seen largely as a kingmaker in the U.S. Senate and in South Carolina — the nation’s second primary state, remains a major force in South Carolina politics. Mr. DeMint noted that he has extended his sphere of influence to include Iowa and New Hamphire, where he said is working on persuading Republicans from supporting candidates until an extension of the debt ceiling is voted on.
“I’m working with people in Iowa and New Hampshire and South Carolina, to try to get a lot of people to hold back and not commit so we can see how they respond to this debt ceiling, the balanced budget and some of the things that we’re going to face here over the next few months,” Mr. DeMint told CNN.
“I think we’ll know who our candidate is by how they, they lead based on what we’re doing here.”
The lack of an endorsement is likely a bit of a political blow of Mr. Huntsman, who announced his campaign for president earlier this week. The Utah Republican is seen as a more moderate candidate for the Republican presidential nomination and is largely viewed as a front-runner for the nomination.
