In the nation's capitol, the South Carolina Republican is a wanted man, in the positive sense, for his insights about overhauling the nation's retirement system.

His proposal last month for a short-term Social Security fix made a splash on the national political scene, putting him in the limelight, at least temporarily.

The week DeMint introduced the legislation, he hustled between meetings and media interviews on Capitol Hill, touting a plan that has been received warmly by Republican leadership and the White House.

DeMint's performance is notable given that he's the junior senator from a state with minor political clout, especially considering how little time he has had to hit his stride. Six months into his first term, he only recently finished assembling his political team with the addition of a regional director in Charleston.

In the halls of Congress, DeMint, 53, has shed the ultraconservative posturing seen during his bitter bid for office, which included verbal attacks on gays and unwed mothers.

That's not to say, however, that the senator has abandoned his conservative philosophy; he's seen as a secure vote when the Republican leadership needs one. After all, it was Bush's coattails that helped sweep him past Democrat Inez Tenenbaum in November's contest.

So, although not everyone is happy with his votes on some matters, the partisan base that elected him couldn't be more satisfied.

MOVING ON UP

DeMint, aided by his savvy staff, is not afraid to delve into policy debates despite his limited political background.

It wasn't until 1998 that the Greenville marketing professional became a political player with his victory in the 4th Congressional District seat. He served six years as a congressman, during which he adopted as his own the major GOP tenets of tax cuts and individual retirement accounts.

DeMint's first six months in the Senate have been a whirlwind, he said, but that's how he likes it.

"I've just found that if you want to play on the issue, there's not a lot of competition on the big issues," he said during an interview with The Post and Courier. "This Social Security issue . happens to be my issue, and I don't think any of the other freshmen came in with it as their issue."

His proposal would use surplus Social Security revenues, projected at about $170 billion this year, to proportionally credit retirement accounts in the name of workers paying Social Security taxes. The credits could then be invested, though only in Treasury bonds for the first two years. The downside, critics say, is that the deficit would balloon because the government would no longer count the surplus as an asset.

Timing helped DeMint become one of the more active freshman senators because the Bush administration made Social Security reform its top domestic priority.

"It is perhaps unusual for a freshman, but not Jim DeMint," said Scott Huffmon, a political science professor at Winthrop University. "I don't think anyone who's followed his career is surprised he's at the forefront of the debate."

DeMint joined the fray mostly by opposing his colleague Lindsey Graham's plan and supporting the president's views.

With little seniority, though, DeMint acknowledges that without major co-signers, his save-the-Social-Security-surplus plan "wouldn't have gotten anywhere."

"Somebody's got to be the ball carrier," he said. "I've got to carry the ball far enough until I can find somebody else to take it who's higher profile, whether that be the president or (Majority Leader) Bill Frist."

BACK HOME

Last month, Frist, a Tennessee Republican, traveled with DeMint to South Carolina to help DeMint raise money and put in a good word. It was a reward for DeMint's loyalty to the party.

Still, not all Republicans are happy with DeMint's Social Security legislation.

Bea Marks, a retired restaurant owner who lives in Mount Pleasant and is an active member of AARP, is opposed to the personal accounts that DeMint has proposed.

"He's done a lot of good . but I don't know where he is coming from with this stuff," Marks said.

Another issue that has put DeMint at odds with some in the Palmetto State is his recent vote for the Central American Free Trade Agreement.

The bill meant "life or death for many jobs in South Carolina," said Lloyd Wood, spokesman for the American Manufacturing Trade Action Coalition, a business interest group. "Obviously, we are disappointed in Senator DeMint's position and vote."

DeMint said he supported the trading pact because he was assured the concerns of textile companies will be addressed.

Wood said DeMint's former congressional district has been hit hard by the textile industry's decline. "It's his back yard. (DeMint's vote) is a head-scratcher for us," he said.

Democrats, such as former state party chairman Dick Harpootlian, say DeMint's position on these issues shows that he's "pretty much a rubber stamp for the Bush administration. And that's not good for South Carolina."

Republican Party faithful, however, have responded favorably. Anderson County Republican Chairman Rick Adkins said the trade bill is good for the state, and that's why DeMint was elected to office.

"He's sticking to his conservative roots, and he's supporting the president," Adkins said. "That's one of the reasons we elected him."