Retired U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings to speak at Columbia Basin Badger Club | Opinion

Last year, in the months leading up to the 2022 mid-term elections, it looked like Republicans were poised to pull off a major legislative victory, perhaps approaching their 54-seat mid-term victory in 1994 during Bill Clinton’s presidency and their 64-seat victory in 2010 when Barack Obama was president.

Democrats held a slim 3-vote advantage in the House, a no-vote advantage in the Senate, and appeared to be in disarray – battling the COVID pandemic, a worsening economy, a botched withdrawal from Afghanistan, a new war in Europe, and concerns about President Biden’s age.

But the Republican landslide never happened. The drama surrounding an even more unpopular former president, legislative achievements by the Biden administration and a surprisingly unified Democratic party resulted in Republicans losing the Senate and winning a slim majority in the House while picking up only 9 seats. This was followed by a fractious contest for Speaker of the House.

Former Congressman Doc Hastings represented Washington’s 4th Congressional District, which includes the Tri-Cities, from 1995 to 2015. Born and raised in Pasco, he graduated from Pasco High School and attended Columbia Basin College and Central Washington University. Active in civic affairs, Hastings served in the Washington Legislature from 1979 to 1987, serving as Assistant Majority Leader and chair of the Republican caucus.

In 1992 he was narrowly defeated for Congress by current Washington Governor Jay Inslee. Two years later, the two squared off again with Hastings winning the congressional seat he held until he retired in 2015. An outspoken supporter of Ronald Reagan, Hastings was elected in what became known as the “Gingrich Revolution” of 1994.

He became a close associate of Speakers Dennis Hastert and John Boehner and achieved the highly unusual distinction of chairing two different House committees; Ethics and Natural Resources.

He also served 12 years on the Rules Committee which determines which legislation will reach the House floor and how it will be debated. Hastings was a member of the team when the current Speaker, Kevin McCarthy, served as the Republican Majority Whip.

We have asked Congressman Hastings to address a several important issues, including:

▪ Will Congress be able to come to some agreement on raising the debt limit or funding the war in Ukraine?

▪ In this age of political polarization, is bipartisanship even possible? Or desirable?

▪ How will former President Trump’s indictment affect the ongoing work of Congress?

The event will be Thursday, April 13, at noon. To register for the event, which will include a Q&A session, visit our website at columbiabasinbadgers.com to receive a confirmation and link to join the Zoom forum. Cost is $5 for nonmembers, while club members can join for free.

C. Mark Smith is chairman of the program committee for the Columbia Basin Badger Club. He spent 40 years managing economic development organizations at the federal, state, and local level. He is the author of five books of history and biography, including Congressman Doc Hastings: Twenty Years of Turmoil, available online or at your favorite bookseller.