Doc Hastings
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Doc Hastings
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| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 3, 1995 |
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| Preceded by | Jay Inslee |
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| Born | February 7, 1941 Spokane, Washington |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | Claire Hastings |
| Residence | Pasco, Washington |
| Alma mater | Pasco High School |
| Occupation | former small businessman |
| Religion | presbyterian |
| Military service | |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1964-1969 |
| Unit | Reserves |
Richard Norman "Doc" Hastings (born February 7, 1941), an American politician, has been a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives since 1995, representing Washington's 4th congressional district. The district includes most of the central part of the state, including Yakima and the Tri-Cities. Hastings won his eighth term in the election held November 4, 2008.
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[edit] Early life and education
Richard "Doc" Hastings was born in Spokane, Washington. He served in the United States Army Reserve from 1964 to 1969.[1] He attended Columbia Basin College and Central Washington University, but did not graduate from either institution. Hastings left CWU after fall quarter and he went to California where he met his wife, Claire.[2]
In 1967, Hastings married his wife, Claire, in Sacramento, California. Together they have three grown children: Kirsten, Petrina and Colin. They live in Pasco.
[edit] Career in Congress
He served in the Washington House of Representatives from 1979 to 1987, including in the capacity of Assistant Majority Leader. Hastings first ran for the 4th District in 1992, but lost to Democratic State Representative Jay Inslee by two percent. Although Hastings carried the Tri-Cities, he lost the rest of the district.
Hastings sought a rematch against Inslee in 1994. This time he won by six percentage points, capitalizing on anger at Inslee's support for the assault weapons ban (Inslee later returned to Congress as a representative from the 1st District). Hastings was narrowly reelected in 1996, but hasn't faced serious opposition since.
Rep. Hastings was once the ranking member of the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct. He controversially replaced Joel Hefley as committee chairman in 2005; Hefley had angered Speaker Dennis Hastert and other Republican leaders by issuing several reports and letters criticizing House Majority Leader Tom DeLay.
On February 2, 2005, Hastings was appointed chairman of the House Ethics Committee's newly created subcommittee investigating the congressional page program in the wake of the Mark Foley scandal [1], which then determined no action would be taken against former Congressman Foley.
[edit] Committee assignments
- Committee on Natural Resources (Ranking Member)
- As Ranking Member of the full committee, Rep. Hastings may serve as an ex officio member of all subcommittees.
[edit] Scandals and Controversies
Hastings has ties to the lobbyist, Jack Abramoff, convicted of bribery of elected officials. In 1996, Abramoff and his lobbying firm had as many as 36 contacts with Hasting's office, resulting in as many as 85.57 billed hours regarding the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. [3] Abramoff bragged to the CNMI of having "excellent" ties to Hastings.[4] Hastings has received $1,000 from Abramoff personally and an additional $14,000 from Preston Gates and Ellis, Abramoff's lobbying firm.
Hastings has also been questioned in the Alberto Gonzales attorney firing scandal. Particularly for his chief of staff Ed Cassidy making a questionable phone call in a possible attempt to persuade John McKay in the 2004 Washington State gubernatorial election.[5]
Hastings may have broken House rules for holding the November 22, 2003 Medicare act vote open for voting for the longest time in House history. [6]
Additionally, Hastings has received criticism from Democrats for inaction as Chair of the House Ethics Committee, particularly in the case of Rep. Tom. DeLay. Hastings fired the existing staff for the committee and attempted to hire his own Chief of Staff, Ed Cassidy as a replacement. [7]
[edit] See also
[edit] Electoral history
| Year | Democrat | Votes | Pct | Republican | Votes | Pct | 3rd Party | Party | Votes | Pct | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Jay Inslee | 106,556 | 51% | Doc Hastings | 103,028 | 49% | ||||||||
| 1994 | Jay Inslee | 81,198 | 47% | Doc Hastings | 92,828 | 53% | ||||||||
| 1996 | Rick Locke | 96,502 | 47% | Doc Hastings | 108,647 | 53% | ||||||||
| 1998 | Gordon Allen Pross | 43,043 | 24% | Doc Hastings | 121,684 | 69% | Peggy S. McKerlie | Reform | 11,363 | 6% | ||||
| 2000 | Jim Davis | 87,585 | 37% | Doc Hastings | 143,259 | 61% | Fred D. Krauss | Libertarian | 4,260 | 2% | ||||
| 2002 | Craig Mason | 53,572 | 33% | Doc Hastings | 108,257 | 67% | ||||||||
| 2004 | Sandy Matheson | 92,486 | 37% | Doc Hastings | 154,627 | 63% | ||||||||
| 2006 | Richard Wright | 77,054 | 40% | Doc Hastings | 115,246 | 60% | ||||||||
| 2008 | George Fearing | 99,430 | 36.91% | Doc Hastings | 169,940 | 63.09% |
[edit] References
Allen, Mike. "House GOP Leaders Name Loyalist to Replace Ethics Chief", The Washington Post, February 3, 2005, retrieved November 7, 2006.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Daily Record - Local news serving Ellensburg, Cle Elum, Roslyn, Thorp, Kittitas, Vantage, South Cle Elum, Easton, Snoqualmie and Suncadia
- ^ 1996 CNMI Preston Gates Ellis Invoices
- ^ Alicia Mundy, "Pasco Congressman in Rare Spotlight," Seattle Times, June 10, 2005
- ^ Think Progress » Rep. Doc Hastings (R-WA) Pressured Former U.S. Attorney In Federal Investigation
- ^ David S. Broder, ""Time Was GOP’’s Ally On the Vote,"" Washington Post, Sunday, November 23, 2003, Page A01; Charles Babington, ""Ethics Panel Rebukes DeLay, Majority Leader Offered to Get Peer’’s Vote,"" Washington Post, Friday, October 1, 2004, Page A01.
- ^ Alicia Mundy, "Hastings says ethics panel won’t investigate DeLay," Seattle Times, October 6, 2005; "House Ethics Chair Fires Lawyers," Associated Press, Wednesday, February 16, 2005, which can viewed at: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,147833,00.html; "Statement of Mark Glaze, Director of the Government Ethics Program at the Campaign Legal Center, on Ethics Chairman Doc Hastings’ Decision to Remove Professional Ethics Panel Staffers," The Campaign Legal Center, February 16, 2005, found at: http://www.campaignlegalcenter.org/press-1527.html; Mike Allen "House Ethics Panel in Gridlock; Democrats Refuse to Participate Under New GOP Rules," Washington Post, March 11, 2005, Page A02; Alicia Mundy, "Ethics claims target Doc Hastings," Seattle Times, June 25, 2005; Gail Russell Chaddock, "House ethics panel lapses at an awkward time," Christian Science Monitor, April 26, 2005.
- ^ "Election Statistics". Office of the Clerk of the House of Representatives. http://clerk.house.gov/member_info/electionInfo/index.html. Retrieved on 2008-01-10.
[edit] External links
- Congressman Doc Hastings official U.S. House website
- Doc Hastings for U.S. Congress official campaign website
- Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
- Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
- Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
- Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
- Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
- Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
- Profile at SourceWatch Congresspedia
- Improper Conduct Improper Contact With a U.S. Attorney in 2004
| United States House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Jay Inslee |
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Washington's 4th congressional district 1995 – present |
Incumbent |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Joel Hefley Colorado |
Chairman of House Ethics Committee 2005–2007 |
Succeeded by Stephanie Tubbs Jones Ohio |
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