Sources: Lott To Deliver GOP Response To State Of The Union

WASHINGTON (AllPolitics, Jan. 8) -- Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott will give the Republican response to President Bill Clinton's State of the Union address on Jan. 27, CNN has learned.

Republican sources knowledgeable about the decision tell CNN that Lott will respond to the president's speech. Lott's office has not yet confirmed that the majority leader is the choice.

The Mississippi senator has a reputation as one of the more ambitious and conservative Republicans on the Hill, and is considered a potential contender for the party's 2000 presidential nomination.

A veteran of the U.S. House of Representatives, Lott was elected to his Senate seat in 1988. He was selected as Senate Majority Leader after Sen. Bob Dole (R-Kan.) retired.

Rep. J.C. Watts (R-Okla.) delivered the GOP response last year.

CNN's Carrin Dessauer contributed to this report.

Thursday Jan. 8, 1998

• Oliver North Tests The Waters
• Sources: Lott To Deliver GOP Response To State Of The Union
• Jones Will Attend Clinton's Deposition
• Justice Concludes No Evidence Of Crime In Ron Brown Death
• U.S. Softens Initial Reaction To Iranian President
• Palm Springs Expects Full House For Bono's Farewell
• Cisneros Pleads Not Guilty

Poll
• Americans Skeptical Of A Long-term Balanced Budget