BY PAUL BARTON
Enquirer Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON
- Rep. J.C. Watts poses a formidable threat to deprive Rep. John Boehner of re-election next week to his House leadership post, a number of congressional experts said Tuesday.
Mr. Watts, R-Okla., is the only African-American among House Republicans and is looking to take over the House Republican Conference chairmanship that Mr. Boehner, R-West Chester, has held since January 1995.
Many see Mr. Watts, 40, as a chance to make party leadership more appealing to the public in general and as a chance to boost GOP chances with black voters in the 2000 presidential race.
"Watts is a very charismatic politician," said Mark Rom, director of the Georgetown University Public Policy Institute.
Others agreed that Mr. Boehner, 48, faces a tough re-election.
"I think you would have to say this is going to be a very stiff challenge," said Norm Ornstein, congressional scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington think tank. "Watts obviously has a significant following."
In the wake of last week's stunning election reversals for Republicans, Mr. Boehner, he said, faces not only newly "unleashed ambition" from members such as Mr. Watts but also a strong desire among GOP rank-and-file to "clean house."
Mr. Watts, a journalism graduate at the University of Oklahoma and former star quarterback there, will turn 41 on the day the leadership elections are decided among House Republicans - Nov. 18.
Boost sought for 2000
As a Republican leader, he could provide a key boost to Republicans in the 2000 presidential race.
"He can make the case to African-Americans why they should vote Republican in 2000," Mr. Rom said. "I imagine party leaders might like him to be in that position."
For Republicans anxious to change their image, "Watts could really be a shot in the arm," added Burdett Loomis, political scientist at the University of Kansas.
Noting that Watts spoke at the GOP convention in 1996, Mr. Loomis said, "I think he sees himself as kind of a national figure."
Still, Mr. Boehner's office continued to maintain confidence in his re-election.
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Mr. Boehner's office also released the names of several prominent Republicans who they say are actively supporting his re-election. They included Reps. John Kasich of Westerville, Ohio, chairman of the House Budget Committee and likely 2000 presidential candidate; Tom Bliley Jr. of Virginia, chairman of the House Commerce Committee; and William F. Goodling of Pennsylvania, chairman of the Education and Workforce Committee.
The conference chairman is the fourth-ranking position in the leadership.
The chairman's responsibilities include a variety of communications tasks, including the development of issue papers and talking points that members can use in their dealings with the news media and in meetings with constituents back in their districts.
When Congress is in session, he chairs regular weekly meetings of House Republicans to discuss strategy and positions on issues. Mr. Boehner also has been a major fund-raiser for Republican candidates.
The latest available records from the Federal Election Commission show Mr. Boehner gave at least $16,005 to House Republican candidates from his personal campaign funds this year, plus $339,266 to GOP candidates from his own political action committee, The Freedom Project.
In addition, he has raised close to $1 million in so-called soft money that the Republican Party used to indirectly help candidates. Mr. Watts also has a personal political action committee, the American Renewal PAC, which gave at least $13,250 to other candidates. Final records from the 1998 elections have not been posted yet.
Mr. Boehner and Mr. Watts both enjoy strong ratings from a variety of conservative interest groups such as the Christian Coalition, American Conservative Union and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the leading small business lobby.
The NFIB, for instance, gives them both 100 percent ratings. "This is a contest between allies," said Boehner aide Dave Schnittger.
