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Political Buzz from Washington | Joel C. Rosenberg

Who will replace Rep. J.C. Watts (R-Okla.), the fourth-ranking Republican, when he retires at the end of this term? There are several complicated answers:

  1. Who will replace him as Oklahoma's 4th District congressman? There is an intense five-candidate Republican primary for Rep. Watts's seat. Among the Republicans vying for the nomination: political activist Marc Nuttle and Tom Cole, former top official with the Republican National Committee and now with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Mr. Cole has already secured Rep. Watts's endorsement for the Aug. 27 primary. The winner will likely face Democrat Ben Odom, an attorney who ran against Rep. Watts in 1998, and figures to mount a serious challenge this year. National Democrats want to pick up this seat; with the razor-thin GOP majority, every single seat is important.
  2. Who will replace him as chairman of the Republican Conference, the No. 4 leadership post among the House Republicans? An aggressive campaign for the coveted post is already underway among conservatives J.D. Hayworth (Arizona) and Jack Kingston (Georgia) and moderate Deborah Pryce (Ohio), now the conference vice chairman and considered by some the frontrunner.
  3. Who will replace him as the GOP's only African-American in Congress? There are several intriguing prospects running for the House this fall. Among them: Las Vegas City Councilwoman Lynette Boggs, New Jersey Secretary of State DeForest "Buster" Soaries (who is also a nationally known evangelical Christian speaker), and Colorado Lt. Gov. Joe Rogers.

Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle isn't creating a particularly positive impression in his home state. A majority of South Dakota voters (52 percent) say the Democrat has been "too negative" over President Bush's handling of the war on terrorism, according to a new survey commissioned by the United Seniors Association. Among South Dakota voters over 50, a slightly larger majority, 53 percent, considers the senator "too negative." Some 61 percent believe Sen. Daschle is obstructing the president's agenda on the economy, the judiciary, and homeland security.