House’s Armey Might Not Seek Reelection

House Majority Leader Dick Armey, second-ranking leader among Republicans and an advocate for tax cuts and smaller government, has told associates he may retire at the end of his term, a source close to the Texas lawmaker said Monday.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Armey had notified House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert and other Republicans that he may not seek reelection to a 10th term in 2002.

A decision to step down could open up a lively race among fellow Republicans eager to claim his powerful post.

Armey, 61, faces a Jan. 2 filing deadline in Texas, but he could announce his plans sooner, possibly within days.

One source familiar with Armey’s thinking said the Texan was not considering retirement for reasons of health or political necessity, but simply decided the time might be right for a change, given the legislative record of the last seven years and the presence of a Republican in the White House.

Armey’s spokesman declined to comment about the congressman’s possible plans, first reported Monday night on the Wall Street Journal’s Web site.

Armey played a key role in developing the “contract with America,” the conservative campaign manifesto that Republicans rode to power in the 1994 midterm elections. He was elected majority leader in the aftermath of the GOP victory and helped push most elements of the legislative program through the House in the first 100 days of the session.

He since has won three more terms in his leadership post. He was challenged for his leadership job in 1998, because of questions of his involvement in a GOP bid the previous year to topple former Speaker Newt Gingrich.

As majority leader, Armey has pushed consistently for tax cuts, less federal spending, elimination of some federal agencies and reduced federal regulation of business.

A former economics professor, he expressed unhappiness at Gingrich’s decision to bring a minimum-wage increase to the House floor in 1996.