Doc Hastings is retiring. In the article linked article, Joel Connelly also makes a point how awful his environmental record was. And that’s certainly a large part of his legacy. He also was about the first in line to excuse any wrongdoing from GOP leadership.
Still, ever the optimist, after reading, “Hastings beat one-term Democratic Rep. (now Gov.) Jay Inslee in 1994, withstood a tough 1996 challenge and has since coasted” I wondered if it might be possible to maybe run a Democrat and pick up the seat. I mean, I know it’s a GOP leaning seat, so it’ll be tough. But honestly I think every seat is a possibility. Yes, it would be a lot of work, and I don’t know who over there would run. A good candidate might not win (although, they might!), but could perhaps excite labor the Hispanic community in that area and have an effect on down ticket races.
Do you really believe a district that would re-elect this guy multiple times would vote in a Democrat? I don’t. Still, you can be a complete idiot on issues and get re-elected to Congress by providing good constituent services, which doesn’t require brains,
just good staff.
The only way a Democrat is going to make any headway in a district like this is if the party nationalizes the election — make the conversation this fall between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, not between individual candidates. That’s what Newt Gingrich did in 1994, and the Republicans took over the House for the first time in 40 years.
The Republican Party brand is so tarnished that a nationalized election would be effective. It might not turn the House, but it would almost certainly swing a few close races.
@1: I’m pretty optimistic about GOP seats that are considered safe and pessimistic about safe Democratic seats. Basically, I think if people put in the effort that a lot more seats could flip than we imagine.