Watt weighing whether to run again

U.S. Rep. Mel Watt said he's leaning toward running for re-election, but has yet to make a final decision. The Charlotte Democrat said he expects to decide this weekend.

"If I'm not going to do it, I would want to give people who may be interested time to organize themselves," he said. "If I am going to do it, I would want to put that out pretty quickly."

Watt, who has represented District 12 since 1992, wants to continue studying the redistricting maps. He says it's not a question of whether he'll win or lose. He said the make-up of the redrawn district, which is 64 percent Democrat, is likely more favorable to him than his current district.

But with the Census coming out only every 10 years, Watt said the redistricting process is a good transition point. Members must weigh whether they're prepared to represent new constituents for the long term or if it's better to allow someone with more long terms plans to step in.

"Is it fairer to let someone who is planning to stay 10 more years develop those new relationships rather than you," he said.