GOP Seeks Prime Real Estate

A pair of little-noticed angles around the surprise retirement announcement of Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) has caught the imagination of The Crypt.

First, who’ll get Lott’s huge personal office in the Russell Senate Office Building? And, secondly, who’ll get his seat on the powerful Finance Committee?

As for Lott’s prized office space, which is on the top floor of the Russell Building, Senate rules are clear: Whoever Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, a Republican, appoints to replace Lott will get to keep the space until the next election, when it will be placed in a seniority pool along with other office space held by additional retiring or defeated senators. Which means that some senior senator is going to be grabbing a whole lot of Russell real estate at some point in the future, and it won’t be Lott’s replacement.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Senate Rules Committee, which has jurisdiction over such matters, could alter this policy after consulting with her Republican counterpart, Sen. Bob Bennett of Utah, although Democratic insiders don’t anticipate that happening.

Regarding Lott’s seat on the Finance Committee, Sen. Michael B. Enzi (R-Wyo.) is next in line for it, and GOP insiders say he wants it. Enzi’s office did not respond to a phone call or an e-mail seeking comment, but several Republican sources said the seat was Enzi’s for the asking.

Another potential candidate is Sen. George Voinovich (R-Ohio), who was passed over by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) at the beginning of the year in favor of Sen. John Ensign (R-Nev.). Ensign agreed to take on the difficult job of chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee this cycle, so McConnell rewarded him with a seat on the Finance Committee. But with Lott leaving, Enzi is next in line and is likely to get it.