House's Only Black Republican to Retire

July 1, 2002 -- 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.

"Little by little, step by step, progress has been made," Watts said. "Working with my colleagues and often across party lines, I have seen many of the goals accomplish we set out to achieve in that exciting summer of 1994."

He cited two tax cuts, welfare reform, a military buildup and a renaissance of patriotism as evidence of that congressional class's achievement.

Message Guru

As conference chairman, Watts mediates between the Republican Party's message-makers and his colleagues' actual policy efforts. But Republicans in Congress endured frequent threats from him to retire and demands for more authority.

In the last few years, Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott, R-Miss., has been nominally in charge of communicating much of the overall congressional Republican message. As conference chairman, that job, at least in the House, technically belongs to Watts.

More recently, Watts, a member of the House Armed Services Committee, expressed concern that Bush did not communicate with him about the administration's plan to kill the Crusader cannon system.

Oklahoma's 4th District is somewhat cosmopolitan, populated by students and faculty of the University of Oklahoma, the university town of Norman, and military families at three defense installations — two of which would have been involved in the Crusader's fabrication and crew training.

Still, Watts' solid conservative voting record and willingness to campaign for GOP caucuses have made him a valuable, almost indispensable member of the caucus, Republicans said. Vice President Dick Cheney called him Sunday night and pleaded with him to reconsider his decision.

Watts last spoke with President Bush on Thursday. The president, Watts said, "tried to dissuade me, but we talked, and I gave him my reasons."

"I told him he could count on me any day of the week and any place in America to count on him," Watts said.

Praise for Bush

Speaking to reporters after his announcement, Watts praised Bush for choosing a diverse group of Republicans to serve in his Cabinet and predicted the president's leadership would encourage African-Americans to join the Republican Party.

David Bositis, an analyst with the center-left Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, said he doubted Watts was all that comfortable as the sole black member of the Republican caucus.

"I have known a lot of black Republicans. Many have confided in me — even when [they were not publicly expressing any problems]—and indicated to me they were disgruntled with the party," he said.

Still, Bositis, who studies African-American political participation and trends, said Watts' personal disagreements probably trumped racial politics.

"I do not think J.C. Watts just wanted to be the cog in [Majority Whip Tom] DeLay's machine. Just look at the House of Representatives — it operates as a machine. It does not allow for most people being their own man or woman," he said.

Watts acknowledged frustrations with the "egos and personalities" in the House, but said that he never intended to spend his career in Washington.

Watts announced his decision only seven days before the state filing deadline, adding an obstacle for other candidates weighing a run. National Democrats think they might be able to pick up the seat.

"The large number of Republican retirements has given Democrats an edge in competitive open seats this cycle and we intend to take advantage of it," said Kim Rubey, a Democratic spokeswoman.

But Watts downplayed that notion. "Dick Gephardt does not sell in the 4th District in Oklahoma," he said, referring to the House Democratic leader.

Still, James A. Davis, a political scientist at the University of Oklahoma, said that about 60 percent of voters in the district lean to Democratic ideas and candidates.

Republicans say former Oklahoma Secretary of State Tom Cole, who has served as a top political strategist to Republican Gov. Frank Keating and the national GOP, is considering a run.

As for Watts' future, politics is not out of the question.

"Anything's possible," he said.

ABCNEWS' Elizabeth Wilner, Kate Rakoczy and Justin Gest contributed to this report.