When Sen. Orrin Hatch was first elected in 1976, his name was such an oddity that New Yorkers threw “Orrin Hatch” themed cocktail parties following the election, according to Rick Perlstein, author of the new book “Reaganland: America’s Right Turn 1976-1980.”
“Hatch was introduced to the nation through a comedy article in The New York Times Magazine,” says Perlstein. “Everyone was throwing Jimmy Carter themed parties. This couple looked in the newspaper and they saw this guy won office with a funny name, Orrin Hatch. Nobody had heard of him.”
That inauspicious introduction aside, Perlstein says Hatch played a big role in ushering in the Reagan revolution once he got to Washington.
“Not only does he become a senator, he’s a lot like the Tea Party guys. He’s the first senator to come from this very much more aggressive ‘New Right’ movement. He refuses to do the things senators are supposed to do. Instead, he becomes a leader. When there’s a big fight against a reforming labor unions law that would make it easier to join a union, he is the guy that the Republican caucus chooses as their field general to run a filibuster against the law that was successful,” he says.
Perlstein was a guest on the “Utah Politics” podcast with host Bryan Schott. He said Hatch would not have won his election in 1976 without a big assist from Reagan.
“The Hatch campaign was desperate. They have no money and no connections whatsoever. They decided if they can get Ronald Reagan, who is incredibly popular in Utah to endorse Hatch, maybe they can pull it out,” recalls Perlstein.
“They call him on his vacation in Mexico. They can barely hear him over the bad connection. Reagan agrees to endorse him. They can hardly believe their ears. It’s four days before the election and they managed to get a telegram into the newspapers. That’s why he won,” he added.
Hatch, a Utah Republican, would go on to serve 42 years in office. He retired in 2018 and was replaced by Sen. Mitt Romney.
Perlstein also discusses the debate moment that doomed Jimmy Carter in the 1980 election and the legacy of the “Reagan Revolution.”
Listen to the full interview below. Subscribe to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, Amazon Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.
