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Movement in D.C.

• Chuck Todd, the respected political analyst at NBC, this week issued his ratings for all United States Senate races. In the Pacific Northwest, the Washington seat now held by Patty Murray is rated a “toss-up, with finger-on-scales to D”; the Oregon seat now held by Ron Wyden is a solid D; and the Idaho seat now held by Mike Crapo is a solid R.
• Today is Staci Lancaster’s last day working on legislative policy in Washington, D.C. After working almost twelve years on Capitol Hill, first for Congressman Hastings of Washington, and more recently with Senator Crapo of Idaho, she leaves to live in Wyoming with her husband, Arlen. With her responsibilities covering immigration and agricultural issues, the NHC was frequently in contact with the highly capable Ms. Lancaster.
• Also escaping the nation’s capital city is Emily Schlect. On Saturday, she starts a trek west to Seattle, where she will take up new duties with the Washington Research Council. After graduation in December of 2004 from Washington State University with a degree in economics, my daughter had moved to Washington, D.C., where she first worked for the Congressional Budget Office, then as an international analyst at the National Mining Association.
• Two annual industry policy events hover on my travel horizon: The United States Apple Association’s Outlook Conference and board meeting in Chicago on August 19-21 and the United Fresh Produce Association’s Public Policy Conference in Washington, D.C. on September 14-16.