Lott Will Quit Senate Next Month

"I think it was a surprise that it came right now, this soon," said Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), Lott's vote-counting deputy. "He just sort of reached the end of the line in terms of what he can do here. It's kind of the cumulative effect of . . . years of wear and tear."

Lott's father was a sharecropper and later a pipe fitter at a Pascagoula shipyard. After graduating from the University of Mississippi's law school in 1967, Lott went to work as an aide to Rep. William Colmer, a conservative House Democrat from Mississippi. He switched parties and won Colmer's seat in 1972, beginning a long career that focused on protecting Mississippi's defense industry interests.

He was intensely partisan but was respected by Democrats as a lawmaker who would keep his word. That reputation helped him engineer compromises on legislation over the past two decades, including welfare reform and a balanced-budget deal in the mid-1990s, as well as a series of anti-terrorism measures after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Under new Senate rules, Lott will be prohibited from directly lobbying former colleagues for two years if he officially departs after this session of Congress adjourns, which is likely to be about a week before Christmas. But those laws will not apply if he resigns before the end of the session. If he does so, he will be eligible to lobby by January 2009.

At his news conference, Lott said that was not his motive, but he acknowledged that some business opportunities are at hand. "I have nothing that we've agreed to or lined up," he said.

The timing could present difficulties for Republicans. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour (R) will have 10 days to appoint a temporary successor once Lott steps down. Barbour announced his intention to hold an election in November, but Mississippi Democrats are threatening legal action to force a special election within 100 days -- which they say is required by law -- if Lott retires in December.

Democrats would prefer a short race a few months from now because their campaign committee holds a $14 million edge over its GOP counterpart. Democrats believe that Republicans will gain an advantage if Barbour can appoint a successor who serves next year before facing voters in the fall.

Sen. Jon Kyl (Ariz.), currently No. 3 in the Republican leadership, emerged yesterday as the likely consensus candidate to succeed Lott as whip.

Staff writers Jonathan Weisman and Jeffrey H. Birnbaum contributed to this report.