In quest for more conservative Senate, DeMint endorses Williams in Texas

Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), chairman of the Senate Republican Steering
Committee, is looking to bring more conservatives to the Senate.

DeMint on Thursday endorsed a Texas railroad commissioner Michael Williams in the crowded Texas Republican Senate primary.

{mosads}Another Texas railroad commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones, state Sen. Florence Shapiro and former Secretary of State Roger Williams are also running for the Senate seat now held by Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas.)

Hutchison is challenging sitting Gov. Rick Perry, who has built a lead in early polling. She has said she will resign her Senate seat sometime after the primary, scheduled for March 2.

Perry will appoint an interim successor until a special election to fill the seat is held on Nov. 2, 2010.

Williams is the fourth conservative whom DeMint, chairman of the Senate Conservatives Fund, has endorsed in a Republican primary.

DeMint and the Conservatives Fund have also endorsed Mark Rubio in Florida’s Senate Republican primary against Gov. Charlie Crist and conservative candidate Chuck DeVore in California’s Senate Republican primary.

DeMint also endorsed GOP candidate Pat Toomey in Pennsylvania after he announced his bid against then-Republican Sen. Arlen Specter.

“We’re looking for a group of new Republicans who will stand for constitutional government, balanced budgets and the principles of liberty,” DeMint said at a press conference Thursday.

“What I feel like we’re doing is trying to pull our party back to where America is,” DeMint said. “This idea that we’re trying to move the party to the right is kind of silly when you look at where we’ve gone here in Washington.

“America is just crying out: What about the Constitution? What about all this debt and all this borrowing? Those aren’t radical questions,” he said.

Conservative activists have complained in recent days that Senate Republicans have not taken a strong enough stance against pending healthcare reform legislation. Conservatives such as talk-show host Rush Limbaugh have criticized Senate Republicans for agreeing to debate and vote on amendments to the bill.

The Senate Conservatives Fund reported $113,000 in cash on hand at the end of October. It has made campaign contributions to Rubio, Toomey and Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.).