Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) is backing the Senate campaign of Texas Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams, one of a handful of Republicans seeking the seat that Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R) will vacate in a few months.

DeMint, a prominent conservative voice in the Senate, appeared with Williams in Washington, D.C., on Thursday to announce an endorsement from his political action committee, Senate Conservatives Fund. The senator described Williams as “one of those new Republicans who has demonstrated throughout his life the vision and courage and willingness to stand up and fight for principles – principles that he believes are right.”

Though DeMint’s backing won’t really influence the thinking of Texas Republican voters, the senator said he wanted to “bring to people’s attention that there’s a very important race in Texas, and it’s very likely that the next new senator here in Washington is going to come from Texas.”