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Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah)

U.S. senator (since January 1977)

(Tim Sloan/AFP/Getty Images)

Why He Matters

Hatch is an influential and well-respected member of the Republican leadership.

The Utahn served as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee from 1995 to 2001 and again from 2003 to 2005. Hatch was chairman of the Senate Labor and Human Resources Committee (now the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee) in the 1980s. In the 112th Congress, he became ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee.

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Background

At a Glance

Career History: Attorney (1962 to 1976)
Birthday: March 22, 1934
Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pa.
Alma Mater: Brigham Young University, B.S. 1959; University of Pittsburgh, J.D., 1962
Spouse: Elaine
Religion: Mormon
Committees: Ranking member, Finance (since January 2011); Judiciary ; Aging ; Health, Education, Labor and Pensions

DC Office: 104 Hart Senate Office Building, Washington DC 20510
State Offices: Salt Lake City, 801/524-4380
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Path to Power

Hatch was raised in Pittsburgh, Pa., but his family has long had ties to the Beehive State. His great-grandfather, Jeremiah Hatch, founded what is now Vernal, Utah, in 1978.

Hatch first moved to Utah on a mission trip with his church, the Church of Latter Day Saints, in 1954. He graduated from Brigham Young University in 1959 and then returned to Pittsburgh, where he earned a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Hatch practiced law there before moving back to Salt Lake City.

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Hatch's 1976 Senate bid was his first run for public office. After winning the Republican nomination with the help of an endorsement from Ronald Reagan, Hatch upset a popular Democratic incumbent, three-term Sen. Frank Moss, 54 to 45 percent.

Hatch was seated 100th in seniority when he joined the Senate in 1977, but he quickly rose through the party ranks after he became a top surrogate for Reagan's 1980 presidential campaign.After Republicans won the majority in the Senate, Hatch became chairman of the Senate Labor Committee.

Hatch moved from ranking member of Labor to ranking member of the Judiciary Committee when the post was vacated by Sen. Strom Thurmond (R-S.C.) in 1993. In 1995, he became chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he focused on tort liability reform and approving the appointment of judicial nominees under Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush (he got flak in that area from botht he left and the right. He served as chairman or ranking member of Judiciary until 2005, when term limits forced him to pass the gavel to Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Penn.).

Presidential Bid

Hatch launched a brief White House run in the summer of 1999. He entered the race July 1, 1999 trailing George W. Bush in campaign funds by $36 million. It was clear from the get-go that his chances weren't good. "I believe in miracles -- and it will take one to elect me," he said.

The senator came in last at the August 1999 Iowa straw polls, taking just 2 percent of the vote. Hatch withdrew his candidacy for the Republican nomination after a disappointing finish in the Iowa caucuses. He won just 1 percent of the vote, less than Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who had not campaigned in the state. He then endorsed George W. Bush.

Hatch's most recent re-election was in 2006, when he faced political newcomer Pete Ashdown (D). Ashdown, the owner of an Internet server provider, accused Hatch of protecting Hollywood interests over Utah's growing tech industry. Ashdown received no financial backing from the Democratic Party and raised just $200,000 to Hatch's $6 million campaign war chest. Hatch won 66 percent percent to 31 percent, capturing a similar margin of victory as in his last three campaigns. He is the longest-serving senator in Utah history.

Hatch identified health-care reform as a top priority on the campaign trail in 2006. As ranking member of the Finance Committee, he had hoped to become chairman of the powerful committee if the Republicans hadn't lost control of the Senate in the 2006 elections.

The Issues

Hatch, a Mormon lay minister, is a conservative Republican, but has become more moderate over his long career in the Senate. Critics have accused Hatch of changing his positions with the political winds, saying he has sought to position himself for a cabinet or U.S. Supreme Court appointment. But Hatch says the move to the center is a reflection of his maturation as a lawmaker.

"I don't think my basic inherent philosophy has changed, but I'm a bit more sophisticated. ... The nature of the Congress is to compromise," he told the New York Times in 1990.

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Hatch is opposed to abortion rights and same-sex marriage and has fought legislation that would give labor unions more power.He was an architect and strong defender of the controversial Patriot Act, which strengthened the government's ability to crack down on potential terrorists, and has backed several attempts to make flag-burning illegal. He has also drafted and supported legislation to limit class action and medical malpractice lawsuits.

Hatch's voting record shows he voted with his party about 88 percent of the time in the current Congress - but he has split with Republicans in recent years on hot-button issues such as immigration and embryonic stem-cell research.

Though he has championed greater aid to the poor and was instrumental in crafting the Children's State Health Insurance Program, Hatch has long opposed increased government intervention in social welfare programs.

''In a wealthy society such as ours, we should take care of the sick, the infirm, the disabled and the handicapped. Private charity is the best way to do this, and government is the worst," he said in 1978.

Judicial Confirmations

Hatch has a long history of supporting conservative judicial nominees. He backed Supreme Court nominees Robert Bork and Clarence Thomas and was a strong defender of President Bush's judicial nominees during his second tenure as Judiciary chairman from 2003 to 2005.

During his first stint as Judiciary chairman from 1995 to 2001, Hatch's handling of President Bill Clinton's court nominees drew fire from both sides of the aisle. Hatch had vowed to work with the administration to seat its nominees, but Democrats accused the Utahn of stalling the confirmation process. Republicans in turn said Hatch was being too soft on Clinton's liberal appointees.

Intellectual Property and Copyright Protections

Hatch is a strong ally of the music industry and has played a crucial role in increasing copyright protections in response to new file-sharing technology on the Internet. His interest in the issue stems from his own experiences - Hatch is a longtime lyricist. The senator has written more than 300 songs over the past decade and he earned a platinum record for selling one million albums.

Hatch has shepherded several landmark pieces of legislation on copyright infringement through the Senate. He supported the 1998 "Digital Millennium Copyright Act," which increased restrictions on downloading copyrighted music and movies. He also co-sponsored a bill with Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-Vt.) that allowed the Justice Department to file civil and criminal charges against illegal Internet downloading and drafted a 2004 bill that banned technologies designed to commit copyright violations. Hatch's position on copyright infringement has put him at odds with many in the technology and communication industries, who say his proposals hurt innovation.

Stem-Cell Research

Hatch is against abortion rights, but supports embryonic stem-cell research, saying life begins in the womb, "not a petri dish." He was one of 58 senators to sign a 2004 letter urging then-President George W. Bush to relax restrictions on embryonic stem cell research. He supported Obama's recent move to reverse a Bush executive order that prohibited federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research.

The Network

Hatch has good relations with senators on both sides of the aisle. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) praised Hatch for his "fundamental sense of justice." Hatch worked closely with Kennedy on many issues. The two also had a close personal friendship - Hatch has on several occasions composed songs for the Massachusetts senator. Kennedy passed away in August 2009.

Hatch endorsed former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney (R), a fellow Mormon, for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. Hatch, who believed his own religion hurt his chances to win the Republican nomination in 2000, urged Romney to speak more candidly about his faith. Hatch supported Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) as the Republican nominee in the general election - he even wrote a song in honor of McCain's campaign. But in 1999, he said his then-opponent's stance on campaign finance reform would "ruin the Republican Party." Hatch is a prolific fundraiser for the Republican Party.

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