I expect JC Watts to run for and win this seat. First Republican Black Senator since reconstruction, I think.
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A Top Republican Says He Will Not Seek New Term
By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG NEW YORK TIMES
WASHINGTON, Oct. 7 — Senator Don Nickles, the Oklahoma Republican and Budget Committee chairman, announced today that he would not seek a fifth term, a decision that opens up new opportunities for Democrats to reclaim his seat.
"I always intended to return to the private sector," Mr. Nickles told reporters at a news conference in Oklahoma City, adding that he did not want to become a "lifer" in the Senate.
At 54, Mr. Nickles has been in the Senate for 23 years, making his mark as a staunch conservative who fought bitterly against expanding the federal budget. But he also burned some bridges with fellow Republicans last year, when, as the Republican whip, he became the first in his party to suggest publicly that Senator Trent Lott, then the majority leader, step aside over racially charged remarks.
The remark was widely interpreted as a move by Mr. Nickles to claim the leader's job. Some Senate aides said it guaranteed that Mr. Nickles would not rise up in the Republican ranks, thereby sealing his decision to retire.
"I think he saw that his chance at leadership had probably evaporated with the Trent Lott issue," a Senate Democratic aide said. "I think he probably felt like it was time to move on."
In recent weeks, as Mr. Nickles said he was nearing a decision, there has been considerable speculation on Capitol Hill about whether he would leave the Senate for a new career as a lobbyist, perhaps joining forces with another powerful lawmaker, Senator John Breaux, the Louisiana Democrat, with whom Mr. Nickles is close.
Today's announcement makes Mr. Nickles the second Senate Republican to announce his retirement, after Senator Peter Fitzgerald of Illinois. Had Mr. Nickles, who was urged to run by the White House, sought another term, his re-election would have been virtually guaranteed. But now there will be an intense election battle in Oklahoma, a state that has voted reliably Republican but which last year elected a Democrat, Brad Henry, as governor.
The Senate is presently made up of 51 Republicans, 48 Democrats and one independent who votes with the Democrats.
"This is definitely a blow to the Republicans because this puts Oklahoma, a place that that recently elected a Democratic governor, in play for the Democrats," said Brad Woodhouse, a spokesman for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.
"A run against Senator Nickles would have been a very, very high hurdle in terms of capturing that seat," he said. "So this is one more place that the Republicans will have to play defense."
Two Democrats are said to be contemplating a run. They are Representative Brad Carson, a conservative Democrat, and Drew Edmondson, the Oklahoma attorney general. Privately, Democrats said they favor Mr. Carson, who they believe has the best chance of reclaiming Mr. Nickles' seat.
nytimes.com |
