 No congressman had ever served on all three of the major financial committees (Appropriations, Budget and Ways and Means) before.Despite Albert endorsing Watkins' Democratic opponent, State Senator Darryl Roberts, Watkins won a narrow victory, becoming the first Republican to represent Little Dixie since statehood (it had previously been the 4th District from 1907 to 1915, and had been the 3rd since 1915).Watkins initially planned to retire from office in 1998 after undergoing back surgery, but was persuaded to run again.