Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R) this week announced he has chosen Rep. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) to replace the retiring Minority Whip Trent Lott.
Lott, who had four years remaining in his term in the Senate, left before new ethics rules were in place requiring policymakers to wait for two years before lobbying the government. He is reportedly considering a move to the lobbying world.
Wicker will join the Senate when it returns to session Jan. 22. He leaves a House seat he has held since 1995 and one he has held as long on the House Appropriations Committee.
During his time in office, Lott was a major player on defense issues–going to bat for Northrop Grumman‘s [NOC] shipbuilding presence along Mississippi’s Gulf Coast.
Wicker is no stranger to that terrain. In the House, he served as ranking member of the veterans affairs and military construction subcommittee and was a member of the defense subcommittee. His district in the House, Mississippi’s first, includes West Point, where International Military and Government, an affiliate of Navistar International Corp., produces MaxxPro Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles.
Lott last served as Senate Majority Leader and served on the commerce, science and transportation; finance; and rules and administration committees. Press reports suggested Wicker’s junior status would not entitle him to Lott’s plum committee assignments.
The process of replacing Wicker on the House Appropriations Committee will start when Congress returns later this month, said Kevin Smith, a spokesman for House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio). The spot will be filled “at the earliest practical opportunity,” Smith said.
Wicker’s staff was beginning the process of moving yesterday and did not return requests for comment.
Barbour has scheduled a special election for Lott’s seat to take place along with the general election in November.
Democrats will be looking to fill another open seat in during that election. Rep. Tom Lantos (D-Calif.), the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, announced he will not seek another term.
“Routine medical tests have revealed that I have cancer of the esophagus. In view of this development and the treatment it will require, I will not seek re-election,” Lantos said in a statement.