Former Sen. Olympia Snowe to address stalemate in Congress at GVSU event

Former United States Sen. Olympia Snowe will discuss bipartisan compromise and how to fix the stalemate in Congress at an event hosted by the Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies and its partners at Grand Valley State University on December 12.

“Olympia Snowe: Fighting for Common Ground”

December 12, 7 p.m.

Eberhard Center, 401 West Fulton St.

Snowe, a former Republican U.S. Senator from Maine, will explore the roots of her belief in principled policy-making and bipartisan compromise. Snowe, a leading moderate with a reputation for crossing the aisle to seek cooperation and compromise, will propose solutions for bridging the partisan divide in Washington, most notably through a citizens’ movement to hold elected officials accountable. 

Snowe will talk about how the tragedies and triumphs of her personal story helped shape her political approach. This Hauenstein Center event is in partnership with the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation, and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum. 

The event is part of the Hauenstein Center’s American Conversations series, which features speakers and topics that center on the theme of finding common ground.

Snowe represented Maine’s Second Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives for 16 years. Following her 1994 election, Olympia became the second woman to represent Maine as a senator. She was re-elected twice and in her third term won with 75 percent of the vote.

She is the fourth woman in history to be elected to both houses of Congress and the first woman in history to serve in both houses of the state legislature and both houses of Congress. When she was first elected to Congress, she was the first Greek-American woman, and youngest Republican woman ever to be elected.

For more information, visit hauensteincenter.org.