News-Record.com

The Washington Post is reporting that U.S. Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi is retiring at the end of this year.

Does the average Tar Heel voter or politician care? Maybe more than you'd think.

First off, as The Fix notes, this likely would add one more senate campaign to next year's calendar. Republicans are already defending a bunch of seats and this is just one more for them to worry about.

Lott's resignation and the likely campaign to replace him will mean national Republicans will have that many fewer resources and a little bit less attention to throw at the North Carolina race. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Dole will be defending her seat, probably against either state Sen. Kay Hagan or Chapel Hill investment banker Jim Neal.

Secondly, the Post is reporting this is a case of burn-out in a guy was elected to the House in 1972 and won a Senate seat in 1988. Lott is walking away at the beginning of a six-year term he recently won. The Capitol Briefing post paraphrases and aid as saying:

"Fatigue has set in," said the GOP aide, requesting anonymity to speak freely about a decision that will not be formal until a noon press conference in Pascagoula.

[snip]

Lott grew tired of the political infighting in the Senate as Republicans have been forced into a position of merely blocking a Democratic agenda, the aide said, stressing that the decision was not connected to any health or ethical issues.

The same post notes:

Lott's departure is the biggest blow yet to Republicans who have been fighting the perception that they will remain in the minority in both the House and Senate for some time to come. While many of the retiring GOP lawmakers were former subcommittee chairs and senior members not happy with minority status, Lott is the first member of either chamber's leadership to announce he will walk away from the Capitol.

Being a U.S. senator - even in the minority - is a pretty sweet gig. You get office space, budget, salary and perks out the ying-yang, a fist-full of power to wield should you choose to do so, and definite "player" status no matter where you roam in your home state.

What kind of bad time does someone who has lived and breathed D.C. politics for 35 years have to have (or foresee) in order to give that up?

This is one more signpost that signals a hard year for Republicans nationally in 2008. Now, there are some fundamentals unique to North Carolina that says this state's mileage may vary quite significantly from the national. And anyone who is in their right mind handicapping the race still will tell you that Dole has some significant advantages.

But what those same folks will tell you that the Democrats can give Dole a good race and in a few particular situations unseat her. Common to those unseating scenarios is some mention of national tides breaking the wrong way for Dole. Lott's resignation isn't exactly a rip-tide warning, but it's one more sign the forecasters will look at.