By Nikki Schwab
November 27, 2007
Sen. Trent Lott, whose career has seen both controversy and
comeback, has joined the steady stream of Republicans leaving
Congress as he announced his plans to retire in about a month.
The news comes as a surprise for many seeing that the four-term
Republican from Mississippi struggled with the decision to
run for re-election in 2006. Lott won big and re-entered the
ranks of Republican leadership as Senate minority whip, proving
he had recovered politically from a 2002 statement that was
perceived to be racist. In a 100th birthday greeting for Sen.
Strom Thurmond, he suggested that the country would be better
off had the then segregationist been elected president in 1948.
As a result of his comments, Lott was pushed out and replaced
by Sen. Bill Frist, who had less racial baggage and was an
ally of President Bush. The move was seen as a statement that
the Republican Party would not stand racial intolerance.
Lott has since recovered politically, and his departure is
seen as a blow to a party already in the minority. While the
GOP is recruiting heavily for potential House members, senators
keep on dropping, with Lott being the sixth to announce his
retirement.
But does Lott's departure spell blue in the special election
for his Mississippi seat next year? Not so fast, says John
Bruce, an associate professor of political science at the University
of Mississippi.
"If I was a betting person, I wouldn't make that bet," Bruce
says. While the Democrats have a lot of money to work with,
Bruce says the Republicans still have a deeper bench in the
heavily GOP state. To fill the vacancy until an election, Republican
Gov. Haley Barbour will pick a short-term successor. Already
several names for a replacement are being thrown around, including
Rep. Chip Pickering, a Republican who announced he would retire
from the House after this term.
GOP Sen. Jon Kyl of Arizona said he will run to take Lott's
place as minority whip.
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