House's Only Black Republican to Retire
July 1 -- Rep. J.C. Watts, a path-breaking former football player, a pastor, and currently chairman of the House Republican Conference, said today he would retire from Congress when his term expires in January.
But the four-term Oklahoma congressman vowed not to retreat from politics or public policy.
Speaking in front of an American flag backdrop at a Norman, Okla. hotel, Watts said he had "followed his heart" and decided to return to his family — his wife, Frankie, and three children — and their life in his district.
"Serving in Congress has been more than an honor. It has been one of the most exhilarating experiences in my life," Watts said. "It is time to go on with other things in my life."
He listed passage of a major anti-poverty bill and congressional consideration of a faith-based charity initiative as his major accomplishments.
Differences With Other GOP Leaders
Watts, the House's only black Republican, has sought to convince liberals that he wasn't a stereotype or a token and to convince conservatives that he was a team player.
Publicly and privately, though, signs that Watts had worn out his welcome among the top ranks of the Republican caucus led his aides to speculate about an imminent retirement from politics.
They said Watts' inability to persuade the Bush administration to consult him before it decided to cut from its budget the Oklahoma-built Crusader artillery program added to his frustration and cemented in his own mind his alienation from other Republican leaders.
Watts strongly denied that intra-party politics hastened his departure, though he acknowledged differences with other Republicans in the leadership.
This wasn't the first time that Watts or his aides had made noise about him possibly retiring.
Watts was elected by a majority white district in 1994, as part of a budding populist revolt of young conservative activists in America's South and West. His engaging personality sped his rise to power. He was re-elected in 2000 with 65 percent of the vote.
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