Posted on 07/02/2002 11:55:45 AM PDT by kattracks
Capitol Hill (CNSNews.com) - Rep. J.C. Watts announced Monday that he will not seek reelection to Oklahoma's 4th Congressional District seat, which he has held since the "Republican Revolution" of 1994.
"It has been a wonderful ride. It has been a wonderful journey," Watts said. "My work in the House of Representatives, at this time in my life, is completed. It is time to return home, to go on with other things in my life, and assume one of the most honored titles in all of America - citizen."
Chad Alexander, state chairman of the Oklahoma Republican Committee, says he was expecting the announcement.
"Am I surprised it's now? A little, but I expected it in 2000, 2002, or 2004, so I'm not shocked," Alexander said. "J.C. Watts has never been a Washington guy.
"J.C. Watts is an Oklahoma guy representing us in Washington," he said.
Alexander says it makes perfect sense that Watts would want to leave the hectic schedule of Washington politics to spend more time with his family.
But are there other motives behind the four-term lawmaker's decision not to seek reelection?
Probably not according to both Alexander and Kevin Martin, director of government affairs for the African-American Republican Leadership Council AARLC).
"J.C. Watts has done as much for the party as he can do," Martin said. "He went from being the only African-American Republican House member [in 1995] to being Republican Conference Chairman ... in 1998.
"I think people that ask that question don't know J.C. Watts very well," added Alexander, who served as a senior official in all four of Watts' congressional campaigns. "J.C. Watts wants to come home to Oklahoma and spend time with his family. He still has three kids who are in the home."
Martin said Watts has accomplished something no other Republican had been able to do in the past.
"He has helped bring more African-Americans into the Republican Party, and helped get the Republican Party to seriously look at African-Americans as running mates, as secretaries of state, national security advisor, not just token positions of phony inclusion. He made the Republican Party start to include African-Americans," Martin explained, "He's done exactly what he set out to do."
Alexander dismisses rumors that Watts may have been angry that he was not seriously considered for the position of House Majority Leader when Rep. Dick Armey (R-Texas) announced his retirement earlier this year.
"That's all speculation," he insisted. "That's all Washington talking, and there are some people up there who are going to say whatever they want."
Martin is more open to the idea.
"Maybe he wanted to be the majority leader. I think it would have been great to see him as majority leader," Martin said. "But maybe he just feels that he's done enough."
Watts did leave the door open to future political involvement. In addition to saying that his work in the House was finished, "at this time in my life," the Oklahoma Republican concluded his remarks saying that, "Retiring from Congress does not mean retreating from the public arena."
Both Martin and Alexander agree that Watts' career in public service is far from over.
"Just because they leave office, doesn't mean they leave the party," Martin mused.
"I don't think J.C. Watts' public life is over. Whether that means elective office, or whether that means just being a voice for the conservative movement, I think he will still very much be in the mix politically," Alexander said. "I don't think he's closed the door on anything. He's 44 years old. He has a lot of time to do a lot of things."
"The sky is the limit. You never know where he'll turn up," Martin said, acknowledging that Watts may be considering a Senate bid in 2004, but adding that Watts' future may hold even bigger things. "If [Vice President] Dick Cheney decides in 2004 that he wants to retire, who's to say the name J.C. Watts won't come up in two years?"
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Watts may be considering a Senate bid in 2004, but adding that Watts' future may hold even bigger things. "If [Vice President] Dick Cheney decides in 2004 that he wants to retire, who's to say the name J.C. Watts won't come up in two years?"
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Wouldn't that blow the seat out of the democrat's drawers.....
I totally agree. I am just heartsick over his decision not to run again.
Interesting how everyone keeps forgetting about Gary Franks of Connecticut. Congressman Franks preceeded JC by 2 Congresses with his breakthrough election in 1990 (and was almost joined that year by a second African-American Republican, Ken Blackwell of Cincinnati,OH, now the Secretary of State). From 1995-97, there were 2 Black Republicans, Franks and Watts. Unlike Watts, Franks had his eyes on the bigger prize of Chris Dodd's U.S. Senate seat, and he was paying so much attention to it that he lost for a 4th term in 1996 in a Republican district. When he ran in 1998 for the Senate seat, the media completely ignored Franks in a way that a liberal African-American would NEVER have been treated, and he lost badly. It's not been for lack of trying that we've not been able to get more African-American Republicans elected to Congress, it sometimes is the district. We've had good candidates since 1994 in people like Marvin Bailey Scott of Indianapolis (who came close to joining JC that year), Teresa Doggett of Austin,TX, a number of candidates in the "3rd" district of Florida (Corrine Brown's district), Sunny Warren against Kabul Cynthia McKinney in '00, etc., etc. The biggest problem though sometimes they've gotten shortchanged, either in monetary support, or lack of GOTV by the party. The media, as I stated before, largely ignores these Black GOP "oddities" for obvious reasons. One contest, though, that did draw attention in 2000 was the race to succeed Rick Lazio of NY and the local GOP went out on a branch to nominate Joan Johnson, which turned out to be, surprisingly, an incredibly poor choice, as Ms. Johnson had little support beyond the GOP party leaders and failed to secure the lesser parties nominations (which is imperative to get in NY state). The GOP, along with the Conservative secondary parties, split the vote and handed the marginally GOP district to the Democrats. I am quite concerned to see JC departing, as this will now be the first time since the 1989-90 Congress that there may not be a Black Republican (unless CO Lt Gov Joe Rogers manages to secure the nomination for the new 7th district, but the state GOP is deliberately sabotaging his campaign in favor of another caucasian, which I'm sorry to see), and the few other chances we have (ex-Sec of State Buster Soaries in the NJ 12th (a traditionally GOP district), and Lynette Boggs-McDonald in NV 1st) are longer shots if only because those districts are now more Democrat-leaning and the candidates (both taking on Dem. incumbents) are trailing badly in the $$. I think unless the GOP really sticks its neck out with GOOD (and not feel-good, as in the case of Joan Johnson) candidates, and TRULY puts their money and GOTV support where there mouth is, the JC Watts (and Gary Franks for that matter) are going to be the very rare exceptions rather than the rule, and that truly is a shame...
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