STATE — U.S. Sen. Jim DeMint announced last week that he will seek re-election to the Senate seat he’s held since 2004.

In a video posted to DeMint’s Web site, he stood by his record on fighting illegal immigration and pork and supporting energy reform.

“When South Carolinians elected me to the U.S. Senate in 2004, I promised to fight for the principles of freedom that made America the greatest and most prosperous country in history,” DeMint said. “It’s been a tough fight. Politicians in both parties continue to support more spending, more debt, higher taxes and more government takeovers.”

This has brought the economy “to its knees,” DeMint said.

DeMint pledged to continue to fight big government, and earlier this year published a book titled “Saving Freedom: We Can Stop America’s Slide Into Socialism.”

“We must redouble our efforts to rebuild our economy, create new jobs and ensure more opportunities for all Americans,” he said. “Freedom works, if we let it.”

First elected to represent the Fourth Congressional District in 1999, DeMint served as a representative until his election to the U.S. Senate in 2004.

The National Journal selected DeMint as the most conservative United States Senator in 2007 and again in 2008.

Earlier this year, DeMint voted against the American Recovery and Reinvestment act, also known as the stimulus package, and has opposed bailouts under both the Bush and Obama administrations.

This year, DeMint has been a vocal opponent of President Barack Obama’s attempt to reform health care, stating that health care is the issue that conservatives can use to “break” the president.

More recently, DeMint came out in support of the military coup that overthrew Honduran president Manuel Zelaya, who DeMint termed a “Hugo-Chavez style dictator.”

“The people of Honduras have struggled too long to have their hard-won democracy stolen from them by a Chavez-style dictator,” DeMint said in a statement. “The Honduran Congress, the Honduran Supreme Court, and the Honduran military have acted in accordance to the Honduran constitution and the rule of law.”

President Obama and the United Nations opposed the coup, stating that Zelaya is the legitimate president of the country.

DeMint traveled to Honduras to meet with the new government, although the White House banned meetings with the currently leaders.

For more information on his campaign, visit www.jimdemint.com.