J.C. Watts lends support to Shannon in his bid for Oklahoma Senate

thehill.com ^ | 5/29/14 | Alexandra Jaffe

[cotton1706]

Former Oklahoma Speaker T.W. Shannon (R) picked up the backing of former Rep. J.C. Watts (R-Okla.) in his bid for the Senate.

Watts has been a longtime mentor to Shannon, who worked as a field director in his congressional office. In his endorsement, obtained first by The Hill, Watts references that shared history and says he “sensed right away [Shannon] was a young man of character and integrity, with great potential.” “Working closely with him for a number of years, I got to know his heart, his family, and saw firsthand the kind of values that are rare in young people these days. Like me, his values are grounded in his faith and I have personally witnessed his values in action,” Watts adds.

He goes on to laud Shannon as “a voice, not an echo,” and declares him a “transformational figure.”

“I couldn’t be more proud of the man he is today, I couldn’t be more proud of the family man that he is and I couldn’t be more excited about his leadership. T.W. is a transformational leader and will fight to give our kids and grandkids an exceptional America, not just an average America,” Watts says.

Shannon, in a release announcing the endorsement, says he looks up to Watts as a model for himself.

“We have celebrated great victories together, prayed together and confided in each other when we needed a friend to listen. He is the kind of man I strive to be and he is the kind of leader I hope to be if elected to the U.S. Senate,” Shannon says.

[Westbrook]

IIRC, JC Watts supported 0bama0 in 2008.

Although, given that it was McQueeg vs. 0bama0, and that there isn’t a dime’s worth of difference between them ideologically, I can understand why he’d go ethnic in 2008.

Don’t know where JC stood in 2012, though.

[kjam22]

This will be an interesting race. I haven’t heard how its polling right now. My wife and I have both been called though. I’m in Lankford’s US Congressional district, and I know him a little. Years ago he was the youth minister at my church. Shannon should have the establishment behind him though....

[Agamemnon]

IIRC, JC Watts supported 0bama0 in 2008.

I don't think you do remember correctly.

He didn't like McCain any more than most of us around here did, and Watts' stated objection with (R)'s in 2008 was that they were doing nothing to bring more blacks to the (R)'s, but he ultimately supported McCain in 2008.

Slathering him with your dismissive suppositions about some alleged inclination he'd have to "go ethnic" without the least scintilla of evidence that he has that tendency at all merely reveals that you are among the legions of those on FR who post a belch without doing any research to back themsleves up.

Having served on Watts' congressional staff Watts surely mentored T W Shannon even as Jack Kemp (while not on Kemp's staff) mentored Watts. Shannon's Tea Party and has Palin's and Cruz' endorsement.

Is that good enough for you, or do you think Watts is merely supporting Shannon, because you think he's just "going ethnic"?

[Westbrook]

Well, I supported Watts with $$ when he was running for Congress.

When I read that he was supporting 0bummer, I was horrified, because I knew he was a Christian Pastor. I wondered how he, as a Christian pastor, could support such a rabid pro-abortion candidate.

IIRC, it was a news story that was published right here in FR that indictated JC’s support for 0bummer.

[sean327]

Yeah, it was on the internet, everyone knows you can’t put it on the internet if it’s not true.....

Freerepublic is great, but like anywhere else you need to verify what is posted. Even here people have agendas, and they aren’t always on the up[ and up. JC Watts did not support Obama in 08 or 12.