Lott Elected to Be Senate Majority Leader
URL:http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A49056-2002Nov13.html
The Associated Press
Wednesday, November 13, 2002; 1:46 PM
Fresh from their election victory, Senate Republicans on Wednesday confirmed that Sen. Trent Lott will remain their leader when the new Senate convenes in January under GOP control.
Lott, who has led the Senate Republicans since Sen. Bob Dole resigned to run for president in 1996, said security issues – national security and the economic, health care and retirement security of Americans – will be his focus when he resumes the role he lost when Democrats assumed power of the Senate 18 months ago.
The Republicans also chose Sen. Mitch McConnell of Kentucky as Lott's deputy, the Senate whip, succeeding Don Nickles of Oklahoma, who is in line to become the Budget Committee chairman.
House Republicans were also choosing their leaders Wednesday, with Dennis Hastert of Illinois retaining the position of speaker, which he has held since 1998, and Tom DeLay taking over as majority leader, succeeding fellow Texan Dick Armey.
Armey is retiring at the end of this session of Congress.
Democrats, reeling from an election that saw House Republicans increase their slim majority and the Senate GOP recapture control with at least 51 seats, were less clear about their future leaders.
California liberal Nancy Pelosi was the favorite to become minority leader, taking over for Rep. Dick Gephardt, the Missouri Democrat who announced he was stepping down after failing to lead the party back into the majority.
But Pelosi, 62, who would become the first woman to lead either party in Congress, faced challenges from Marcy Kaptur, 56, of Ohio, who said she represented the "reform wing" of the party, and 32-year-old moderate Harold Ford of Tennessee. The election is scheduled for Thursday.
Pelosi, in a gesture to Democrats who have expressed concerns that she is too liberal to represent the whole party, said Wednesday that her first official act as leader would be to nominate Rep. John Spratt of South Carolina, top Democrat on the Budget Committee and a respected moderate, as her assistant.
Senate Democrats are not electing their leaders until next month, and there have been no announced challenges to current Democratic leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota.
Lott, 61, a 14-year Senate veteran from Mississippi, introduced a solidly conservative leadership team. In addition to McConnell, Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania and Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas continue as chairman and vice chairman of the Republican Conference while Jon Kyl of Arizona succeeds Idaho's Larry Craig as head of the Republican Policy Committee. Sen. George Allen of Virginia takes over for Sen. Bill Frist of Tennessee as head of the fund-raising Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee. All the elections were uncontested.
"You could feel the electricity," at the meeting where the leaders were chosen, said Allen. He said the party was rejuvenated by its return to the majority.
But Lott also said he would try to overcome the partisanship that bogged down homeland security legislation and other measures this year when Democrats held a slim margin in the Senate. He said he had gone to Daschle Tuesday asking for advice.
"A lot of it is personal and human relationships," Lott said, noting that he had been reading about former Majority Leader Mike Mansfield, known for his conciliatory style. But he added that "it's going to be tough. There will be times when I have to do things the Democrats won't like."
In addition to the elevation of DeLay to the no. 2 spot among House Republicans, Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri, a close ally of DeLay, is to assume DeLay's current position as whip, the person responsible for counting and corralling votes on the House floor. The no. 4 position, Republican Conference chairman, is being sought by Deborah Pryce of Ohio, a relative moderate, and conservatives J.D. Hayworth of Arizona and Jim Ryun of Kansas. Pryce, who would become the highest-ranking woman in House GOP leadership history, is the front-runner to succeed J.C. Watts of Oklahoma, who is leaving Congress.
© 2002 The Associated Press |
