DeMint Launching Super PAC

U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint will be pulling away from his Senate Conservatives Fund so that his pet project for growing like-minded GOPers in the chamber can achieve Super PAC status.

For two election cycles, DeMint has been raising and spending $17 million across the country to get like-minded conservative Republicans elected to the U.S. Senate.

Politico notes Monday morning that DeMint has caught on to the appeal of big spending Super PACs. The change provides an opportunity for more contributions — it just requires DeMint to take a step back from the operation of the PAC.

Matt Hoskins, the DeMint operative overseeing the PAC, told Politico that the Senate Conservative Fund has more than 100,000 low-dollar donors.

"It makes sense to begin the process of developing a high-dollar program to boost our independent expenditures," Hoskins said.

Last summer, DeMint told Charleston Republicans that he saw once his term expires in 2016.

"Frankly I could have more influence on the outside with something like the Senate Conservatives Fund where I didn’t have to be as delicate, if you could call me that, with some of our incumbents," DeMint said.

More:

• See the Senate Conservative Fund's 2012 list of endorsed candidates.
• Read more Patch coverage of Sen. Jim DeMint.