Jim DeMint in CNN political race coverage

On Budget & Economy: $13T in debt shows both parties are out of control

On Education: Devolve education to states without abolishing Department

DEMINT: I agree that we need to devolve a lot of power out of Washington.

Q; Getting rid of it completely, is that a good idea? No more Department of Education?

DEMINT: I can see a role of looking at best practices around the state. But the fact is pretty clear, since the federal government increased its involvement in the '60s, the quality of our education relative to the rest of the world has declined. And we spend more per student than any other country in the world. So I've introduced a bill to devolve a lot of power from the federal government back to the states.

Q: But that's not the same as abolishing it. A lot of money comes from the federal government.

DEMINT: Well, she's very bold to say it. The fact is, education would probably work a lot better without the Department of Education. You can do it in a common-sense, reasonable way that doesn't disrupt any of the activities that we support

On Government Reform: Earmarks are how lobbyists grease the skids

DEMINT: These are appropriators, Bob Bennett, Lisa Murkowski. They believe in their job is to take home the bacon. It's a big part of the culture here in Washington. Even in Alaska, the voters there threw out someone who was bringing home the bacon. Joe Miller, running against earmarks, because what we're hearing all over America is, "I don't want money for my state if it's going to bankrupt my country."

Q: But we're talking, really, 1% or 2% of a budget here, when you're talking about the earmarks.

DEMINT: Oh, it's like saying the engine is a small part of the train. All the legislation, you look at health care, was pulled through by "Cornhusker kickbacks," that's an earmark. The bail-outs failed in the House until they went back and added earmarks. So it's always a way to grease the skids, and it's the power here. It's why thousands of lobbyists are here.

On Principles & Values: I'd prefer conservative principles than a Senate majority

DEMINT: Well, let me clarify what I mean by conservative. I'm just talking about common-sense people who don't think balancing a checkbook is a radical idea. What I'm talking about is where mainstream America is, and it's just common sense

Q: A poll said about 19% of Americans support the tea party movement. That's not mainstream. That's not most Americans.

DEMINT: The interesting thing is, for instance, in Delaware, there are probably at most a few thousand tea party activists. But ten times that many voted for Christine O'Donnell in the Republican primary. So for every person who takes up a sign and goes to a tea party rally, there are thousands of Americans who agree with them, who don't like Republicans or Democrats, but they're concerned about the incredible spending.