Watkins ducks reporters amid speculation he could resign

FORT SCOTT — Kansas Republican U.S. Rep. Steve Watkins declined to answer news reporters' questions at a campaign event Thursday amid a flurry of bipartisan speculation his career in Congress could come to an abrupt end after eight months in office.

Instead, he bolted into a waiting vehicle and sped away.

Republicans in Kansas and Washington, D.C., were pressuring Watkins to step down, but the reason for the possible resignation wasn't certain. Jim Joice, the spokesman for Watkins, said there would be no resignation. Joice acknowledged widespread conversation on the topic but disputed whether GOP leaders were actually applying pressure.

The congressman addressed business owners, military veterans and politically engaged voters during a meet and greet sponsored by the Fort Scott Area Chamber of Commerce, reflecting on his accomplishments in office and the "fleeting" nature of being a public servant. Watkins was talking to a constituent when he placed his cellphone to his ear and abruptly left the Boiler Room Brewhaus through a side door.

Two news reporters chased and shouted after Watkins as he stepped into the passenger side of a waiting SUV and smirked as the vehicle pulled away. Watkins aides inside the restaurant declined to answer questions but said they would forward a request for comment to superiors.

Joice responded after this story was published online, but the conversation was cut short by poor phone reception.

Watkins appeared confident and upbeat while addressing the crowd of business owners, veterans and engaged voters. In brief remarks, he gave no indication of an imminent departure.

The congressman highlighted his efforts to address challenges with rural health care in Kansas and an interest in veterans affairs. Watkins is a veteran of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In two different moments, he expressed a desire to continue representing the 2nd District.

"We work for you, and in the grand scheme of Kansas, we're not going to work for you for very long," Watkins said. "In the grand scheme of our great state, it's really just going to be fleeting. And that's why I hope and pray each day that I can do the job justice."

Watkins narrowly defeated Democrat Paul Davis during a turbulent 2018 campaign in which questions were raised about Watkins' military service and his treatment of women in Kansas, Alaska and elsewhere.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reported he was dating women in Topeka during the campaign while engaged to be married and after he was wed, and identified a Wasilla, Alaska, resident who accused Watkins of unwanted sexual advances. Watkins called the allegations "preposterous."

The 42-year-old was elected in November to the 2nd District seat vacated by retiring U.S. Rep. Lynn Jenkins, also a Republican. He emerged from a crowded GOP primary on the strength of television advertising underwritten by Watkins' father, a Topeka physician, who set up a political action committee. The super PAC spent more than $700,000 on his campaign.

Watkins was raised in Topeka and graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1999. He served in the U.S. Army and was stationed at Fort Richardson in Alaska. He deployed to Afghanistan in 2004 and returned to the conflict zone as a defense contractor. In an interview with The Washington Post, Watkins said he was diagnosed with PTSD before suffering a traumatic brain injury in 2013.

He declined during the campaign to discuss details of his work as a private contractor overseas and refused to outline the incident in which he was injured.

He also was a participant in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Alaska in 2015 and 2018.

During the August 2018 primary in the 2nd District, county GOP officials and Republican rivals in the campaign shared concern about Watkins' background and were outspoken with doubts he was a dedicated member of the Republican Party. Democrats said Watkins met with them before he filed as a member of the other party.

He won the GOP nomination over six other candidates by earning 26% of the vote. In the general election, he defeated Democratic nominee Paul Davis by less than 2 percentage points.

Articles published during the campaign also raised questions about Watkins' lack of a public voting record in Alaska or Kansas, challenged his claim of running a small business and dug into assertions he performed in heroic fashion during an earthquake.