Leave your feedback Share Copy URL https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/politics-july-dec02-watts_07-01 Email Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Tumblr Share on Facebook Share on Twitter House Republican Leader J.C. Watts to Retire Politics Jul 1, 2002 5:35 PM EDT Watts, of Oklahoma’s 4th Congressional District, is the Republican Party’s fourth-ranking leader and only African-American member of Congress. “I believe 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,” Watts said at a televised Norman, Oklahoma news conference. Watts, 44, said he wishes to spend more time with his wife and five children. The four-term congressman did not announce other future plans, but stressed, “Retiring from Congress does not mean retreating from the public arena. “Our democracy is based on citizen participation, and as a citizen, I intend to participate vigorously in the great ongoing debate over the future of the most wonderful nation in all the world,” Watts said. The congressman also read aloud a letter from civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks, who asked him to “keep his seat” as she famously did on an Alabama bus in 1955. Watts has been chairman of the House Republican Conference since 1998. He was first elected to Congress in 1994 in the “Republican Revolution” which swept the GOP into control of the House for the first time in 40 years. He largely cruised through his re-election campaigns, winning his most recent race in 2000 with 65 percent of the vote. Rep. Watts had reportedly considered a bid to replace retiring Rep. Dick Armey (R-Texas) as House Majority Leader, but decided against it when a survey of House members suggested Majority Whip Tom DeLay had enough votes to win the position. Possible contenders for Watts’ conference chair include Rep. Deborah Pryce of Ohio, Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia, and Arizona’s J.D. Hayworth. John Doolittle of Calif., Kansas’ Jim Ryun and Jack Kingston of Georgia are other possible candidates who have expressed interest in the post. Democrats are eyeing Watts’ competitive 4th Congressional District, hoping a win there could help them gain control of the House, where Republicans currently hold a six-seat margin. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now
Watts, of Oklahoma’s 4th Congressional District, is the Republican Party’s fourth-ranking leader and only African-American member of Congress. “I believe 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,” Watts said at a televised Norman, Oklahoma news conference. Watts, 44, said he wishes to spend more time with his wife and five children. The four-term congressman did not announce other future plans, but stressed, “Retiring from Congress does not mean retreating from the public arena. “Our democracy is based on citizen participation, and as a citizen, I intend to participate vigorously in the great ongoing debate over the future of the most wonderful nation in all the world,” Watts said. The congressman also read aloud a letter from civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks, who asked him to “keep his seat” as she famously did on an Alabama bus in 1955. Watts has been chairman of the House Republican Conference since 1998. He was first elected to Congress in 1994 in the “Republican Revolution” which swept the GOP into control of the House for the first time in 40 years. He largely cruised through his re-election campaigns, winning his most recent race in 2000 with 65 percent of the vote. Rep. Watts had reportedly considered a bid to replace retiring Rep. Dick Armey (R-Texas) as House Majority Leader, but decided against it when a survey of House members suggested Majority Whip Tom DeLay had enough votes to win the position. Possible contenders for Watts’ conference chair include Rep. Deborah Pryce of Ohio, Rep. Tom Davis of Virginia, and Arizona’s J.D. Hayworth. John Doolittle of Calif., Kansas’ Jim Ryun and Jack Kingston of Georgia are other possible candidates who have expressed interest in the post. Democrats are eyeing Watts’ competitive 4th Congressional District, hoping a win there could help them gain control of the House, where Republicans currently hold a six-seat margin. We're not going anywhere. Stand up for truly independent, trusted news that you can count on! Donate now