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Mel Watt
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina's 12th district
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 3, 1993
Preceded by	None (District Created After 1990 Census)
Succeeded by	Incumbent
Born	August 26, 1945 (1945-08-26) (age 62) Steele Creek, North Carolina
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Eulada Watt
Religion	Presbyterian

Melvin Luther (Mel) Watt (born August 26, 1945), American politician, has been a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives since 1993, representing the North Carolina's 12th congressional district.

Born in Steele Creek, North Carolina, a community in the southwest corner of Charlotte, Watt attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Yale University Law School. He served a single term in the North Carolina Senate (1985–1986), before returning to his law practice and running private business. He was elected to the House in 1992 by defeating Barbara Gore Washington (R) and Curtis Wade Krumel (L). He serves on the Financial Services Committee and the Judiciary Committee. He previously served on the Joint Economic Committee. In the 109th Congress, he chaired the Congressional Black Caucus. He is a member of the NAACP.

One of the most liberal Southern Democrats, Watt was elected to his seventh consecutive term in the 2004 Congressional elections, earning 67 percent of the popular vote and defeating Republican Ada Fisher.

The 12th district is often called a gerrymandered district.^[1] The Wall Street Journal called the district "political pornography." It is very long and so thin at some points that it is no wider than a freeway lane, as it follows Interstate 85 closely.^[2] The District was created by the North Carolina General Assembly in 1992, the same year Watt was first elected.^[3]

In 2004, Ralph Nader attended a meeting with the Congressional Black Caucus, where he says that Congressman Watt twice uttered an "obscene racial epithet" towards him; Watt subsequently did not offer an apology. Nader wrote:

"Instead, exclamations at the meeting... end[ed] with the obscene racist epithet repeated twice by Yale Law School alumnus Congressman Melvin Watt of North Carolina. One member of your Caucus called to apologize for the crudity of some of the members. I had expected an expression of regret or apology from Congressman Watt in the subsequent days after he had cooled down. After all there was absolutely no vocal or verbal provocation from me or from my associates, including Peter Miguel Camejo, to warrant such an outburst. In all my years of struggling for justice, especially for the deprived and downtrodden, has any legislator--white or black--used such language? I do not like double standards, especially since our premise for interactions must be equality of respect that has no room, as I responded to Mr. Watt, for playing the race card. Therefore, just as African-Americans demanded an apology from Agriculture Secretary Earl Butts and Senator Trent Lott--prior to their resignation and demotion respectively--for their racist remarks, I expect that you and others in the Caucus will exert your moral persuasion and request an apology from Congressman Watt. Please consider this also my request for such an expression--a copy of which is being forwarded directly to Mr. Watt's office."^[4]

• U.S. Congressman Mel Watt, U.S. House site

• Mel Watt's biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Mel Watt's voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Mel Watt's campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Mel Watt's campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
• Mel Watt's biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Mel Watt's issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
• SourceWatch Congresspedia — Mel Watt profile
• Congressman Watt Elected to Be Chair of the CBC

v • d • e Chairs of the Congressional Black Caucus
Diggs • Stokes • Rangel • Burke • Mitchell • Collins • Fauntroy • Dixon • Leland • Dymally • Dellums • Towns • Mfume • Payne • Waters • Clyburn • Johnson • Cummings • Watt • Kilpatrick