Rick Watson to decide on House run in a month

St. Clair County Sheriff Rick Watson said he doesn’t expect to make up his mind for another month or so about whether to run in the Democratic primary for the 12th U.S. House District seat March 15.

Watson, 59, was back in the county Thursday after spending two days in Washington, D.C., where he said he met with top House Democrats, including U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and leaders of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, who tried to convince him to enter the House race.

“Of course, you got to wrap your mind around it,” Watson said. “There’s local people here that I have to consider. I have to consider my wife and family. It’s a big choice.”

Belleville labor lawyer C.J. Baricevic, 30, has already announced his candidacy as a Democratic candidate in the race. The winner of the primary will likely face freshman incumbent U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, in the November 2016 general election.

The Democrats are trying to win back the 12th District House seat, which runs south from Alton and includes the state’s 12 southernmost counties. Bost won it in November after beating one-term incumbent Bill Enyart, D-Belleville. Previously, Democrats had held that seat since World War II with two just congressmen — Melvin Price of East St. Louis and Jerry Costello of Belleville.

Watson said the people he met in Washington were nice and that he was “in awe the whole time I was there. It was truly an honor.”

One of the things he learned from the House members he spoke with is how time-consuming campaign fundraising is.

“The thing every congressman told me was, you know, ‘We love the job, but that fundraising is terrible,’” Watson said. “They were honest with me. ‘You’re going to spend 40 hours a week on the phone.’ If I sign up, I know what I’m getting into. They didn’t sugarcoat it.”

Watson made it clear in an interview Monday that Democratic leaders in Washington will have a tough sell on their hands. He said he loves his job as sheriff and would be reluctant to leave it.

“I love what I’m doing,” said Watson, who succeeded the late Mearl Justus, who held the job for eight terms. “I don’t know how they’re going to drag me away from here.”

Contact reporter Mike Fitzgerald at mfitzgerald@bnd.com or 618-239-2533.

This story was originally published July 24, 2015 at 9:33 AM with the headline "Rick Watson to decide on House run in a month."