C Mark Smith

Congressman Doc Hastings C Mark Smith

Rarely in the spotlight, Richard "Doc" Hastings represented his Eastern Washington district for two decades. He helped create the nuclear cleanup caucus, ensured Hanford Site funding, protected Northwest dams, backed water storage solutions, and championed public lands development. Voters elected him nine times.

Doc's tenure included major national issues and events--9/11, wars, surging federal debt, the Great Recession, Obamacare, and more. A party loyalist, Doc and his fellow Republicans engaged the Democrats in battles that rarely led to compromise on key legislation. Voters changed the political composition of Congress three times, but each new majority continued to push through its agenda--and the cycle continues.

Thoroughly researched and based on hundreds of interviews, "Congressman Doc Hastings: Twenty Years of Turmoil" combines biography, history, and commentary to lend insight into the political divide and demonstrate how the past influences the country's political future.