Jim DeMint resigning from Senate to head conservative think tank

[Martinetti]

Jim DeMint was on the verge of being where every senator longs to be — holding a top position on an influential committee with oversight of industries critical to his state.

But, as is so often the case with the maverick from South Carolina, DeMint turned his back on convention. Instead he announced Thursday that he would resign to become president of the Heritage Foundation. The move puts De­Mint at the head of the most prominent conservative nonprofit organization in Washington and in a position he hopes will afford more power to move the Republican Party in an ever-rightward direction.