GULFPORT, Miss. – U.S. Sen. Trent Lott says personal losses he suffered because of Hurricane Katrina will weigh on his decision whether to run for re-election in 2006.
The Mississippi Republican lost his waterfront home in Pascagoula during the Aug. 29 storm.
“It was about half my net worth. I have a $400,000 loss after the flood insurance,” the former Senate majority leader said.
“From a personal standpoint, I need a little more income. But the people I care most about, those on the coast, are hurting and need help,” he said.
Lott is suing his insurance company in federal court to collect for wind damage to his home. The case is part of an ongoing dispute between insurance companies and thousands of storm victims who cannot agree on whether a wind-driven storm surge is the same as flooding.
The senator said his family is divided over his running again.
Another consideration, he said, is that he is “so disappointed with the (Bush) administration’s response to this disaster that I’m almost embarrassed.”
Lott, 64, was elected to the Senate in 1988 after serving 16 years in the House. He lost his leadership post in 2002 after he made a remark that seemed to praise the late Sen. Strom Thurmond’s segregationist past.
Lott hinted that if he does seek re-election, he might seek another leadership post. “I might do it just to make everybody nervous,” he said.
Rep. Chip Pickering, R-Miss., has been expected to run for Senate if Lott drops out or Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., retires. Democrats who might be interested include former state Attorney General Mike Moore.
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