COLUMBIA, SC (FOX Carolina) -
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley said Monday that she is not in favor of appointing a replacement who won't run in the 2014 special election for outgoing Sen. Jim DeMint, R-SC.
DeMint, who was first elected to his seat in 2004, announced last week that he will leave the U.S. Senate at the end of the year to join a conservative think tank.
Haley, who must now appoint DeMint's replacement, has given little indication as to who will succeed the senator. However, she said in a statement Friday that she will appoint a person who has the same philosophy of government as DeMint.
"Appointing a new member of the U.S. Senate is a solemn duty, and I take this responsibility with the utmost seriousness," Haley said in a statement. "I will make this decision in a manner that is thoughtful and dignified, but also quickly."
SLIDESHOW: Possible Sen. Jim DeMint replacements
In a statement released Monday, Haley said she is not in favor of ideas being floated for a "placeholder" for DeMint's seat - a person who would pledge to serve only two years, and not run in the special election.
"While I am an avid supporter of term limits, I do not want the effectiveness of our state's new U.S. senator to be undermined by the fact that he or she will automatically be leaving the office such a very short time after assuming it."
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