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U.S. Marine will announce Democratic run against Hastings
KENNEWICK, Wash. -- A political newcomer out of the Tri-Cities plans to announce a 2010 run at the 4th District congressional seat held by U.S. Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Pasco.
Jay Clough, D-Kennewick, is a 33-year-old former Marine who works for the Hanford cleanup company Washington Closure Hanford and has never held or even sought elected office before.
“I’m a novice to the game,” he said.
A Central Washington University graduate with degrees in Pacific Asian studies and Chinese language, Clough served in the Marines from 1995 to 1999, attaining the rank of corporal. He is married and has lived in China, Japan and Korea.
He declined to talk much about the issues during a telephone interview today, saying he would discuss those Monday during a pair of campaign kickoff press conferences, one at Columbia Park in Kennewick and the other at Millenium Plaza in Yakima. He did say expanding foreign markets for U.S. agriculture would be a priority.
Clough, who once ran a Web site called www.nextgenpolitics.com, said he would provide a younger perspective. He chose to aim for the U.S. Congress rather than starting with elected office at the local or state level because he believes that’s where he could have the greatest impact.
“With my international experience and my education, my desire was to serve my state and represent my state to the nation,” he said.
Hastings, who wrested control of the seat from Democrat Jay Inslee in the 1994 Republican Revolution, has never come close to losing it. He has taken at least 60 percent of the vote in every election since 1998 including a 63 percent to 37 percent win over Democrat George Fearing last year.
He has not formally announced a re-election bid, but is the Republican Party’s presumptive candidate in the 4th District.
- Pat Muir
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9 comments so far.
Doc is looking really, really tired. It would be a mercy to send him home.
Report ViolationDoc's seat is safe. As Ranking Republican on the House Natural Resources Committee I do not expect him to step down anytime soon.
Report ViolationFourteen years is long enough for ANYONE to be in office, Democrat or Republican.
Let me know once he's raised a half a million dollars. Until then, I won't even bother to remember his name.
It's going to take someone with a much stronger background to beat Doc. Say what you will about him (and much of it is deserved, I'm sure), he's safe.
In with the new, out with the old.
Report ViolationThis man is a young, energetic, worldly wise, highly intelligent, college grad, ex-Marine. Everything that "Doc" is not. What "Doc" is is a career politician who took $15,000 from Jack Abramoff, was involved in the U.S. attorney firing scandal, did nothing as as Chair of the House Ethics Committee in the case of Rep. Tom. DeLay (surprise!). "Doc" is one of the instrumental players in holding the Medicare prescription drug bill vote open for the longest time in House history while congressmen were intimidated and bullied into voting yes. Remember the Medicare prescription drug bill? The bill that was written by the pharmaceutical lobbyists? The bill with an estimated cost of just under $400 billion over 10 years, and was the largest entitlement program maybe ever? Is that how a guy with no college degree gets to be called "Doc"? Anointed by big pharma.
Ethics, yeah right.
So you may be wondering: “Why did Doc violate House rules by holding the vote on the Medicare prescription drug bill open while those few Republicans that had backbones were bullied into changing their vote? Isn’t $400 BILLION a lot of YOUR TAX MONEY to spend on an entitlement program like Medicaid? Isn’t Doc an anti-tax conservative? Did he do it out of the goodness of his heart, you know, for the old people and the poor?” Think again. At the time the bill passed, there were over 1,000 pharmaceutical lobbyists pushing for passage. Why was big pharma so interested? It prohibited Medicare and the federal government from using its purchasing power to negotiate lower prices directly from the drug companies, leaving drug companies free to continue to charge high prices and to keep raising prices. The result? Medicare pays almost 60% more for the top 20 drugs than veterans pay under VA coverage. Who was squarely behind this giveaway of BILLIONS of your tax money to the drug companies? “Doc” Hastings.
Report ViolationSounds like you have been dogging Dick Doc for some time, Layne. Jay's campaign could use your help - the voters of the 4th CD need to repeatedly hear the messages about his representation of big business and pharma to the detriment of the middle/working class in Central Washington who are trying to stay financially solvent and raise decent kids.
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Awwww, how sweet. The YHR found it's next Democrat to promote.
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