Sen. Trent Lott Decides to Leave Office Early
It's not entirely surprising to hear that Mississippi Sen. Trent Lott has decided to retire by the end of 2007, even though his announcement comes just a year after he was re-elected to the seat he first won in 1988.
NPR's senior Washington editor, Ron Elving, says it appears to be largely about the new lobbying rules that come into play Jan. 1. They extend the length of time a member of Congress must wait before lobbying former colleagues to two years after he or she leaves office. (Lott says the change "didn't have a big role" in his decision.)
Lott's career has never been quite the same since the remarks he made at the late Sen. Strom Thurmond's 100th birthday party, which were interpreted as support for segregation. After those remarks gained attention, thanks in part to the then-relatively new phenomenon of blogging, Lott was forced to step down as majority leader.
In his book, Herding Cats: A Life in Politics, Lott wrote about the lack of support he had received from his fellow Republicans, in particular President Bush. Lott said that the president had hurt his feelings by disavowing the Thurmond comments in a way that was "booming and nasty." Lott was also unhappy with the administration's slow response to Hurricane Katrina. However, he made a political comeback in 2006, when his colleagues elected him minority whip, the No. 2 job behind Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, a Republican, will appoint a successor to Lott, who becomes the sixth GOP senator to announce his retirement this year. The seat is considered safely Republican, however, and early speculation is focusing on GOP Rep. Chip Pickering as the appointee.
2:28 PM ET | 11-26-2007 | permalink
