DeMint: 'I’m Not a Kingmaker'

Some experts see big things ahead for South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, a major backer of the tea party movement. But DeMint himself apparently isn’t one of them, the Los Angeles Times reports.

"I'm not a kingmaker and we don't need any more kings up here,” he says. “What we need is just folks who are going to keep their oath of office for a limited government. Change comes hard here. So I think anyone who pushes a little bit is seen as a troublemaker."

DeMint’s principled stands are making him a hero for conservatives nationwide. Many of his constituents in South Carolina see him as a home-bred version of Sarah Palin, selecting unknown conservative candidates and giving them a chance for victory.

He has provided cash and legitimacy to Republican Senate candidates Christine O'Donnell in Delaware, Sharron Angle in Nevada and Rand Paul in Kentucky.