When I read the news that longtime US senator Orrin Hatch had passed away at the age of 88, I thought of only one person: Eric Loomis (@ErikLoomis) Associate Professor of history at the University of Rhode Island. Eric just wrote a deep dive on The Editorial Board on Hatch’s complicated legacy, one that was at times surprising for someone with a reputation of being a relative moderate with some real bipartisan accomplishments. Senator Hatch’s career provides a lens into the evolution of the Republican Party.