Ex-Sen. Snowe joins think tank

Former Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) is joining the Bipartisan Policy Center.

Snowe will be a senior fellow at the think tank and will be a co-chairwoman of its newly-formed Commission on Political Reform.

“Joining the Bipartisan Policy Center is a natural extension of my efforts to achieve results throughout my tenure in Congress, and it provides an ideal means for developing strategies that can garner the broad support necessary to achieve real solutions to the challenges confronting our nation,” Snowe said in a statement.

The think tank was founded in 2007 by a quartet of former Senate Majority Leaders: Howard Baker (R-Tenn.), Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), Bob Dole (R-Kan.) and George Mitchell (D-Maine).

The group promotes bipartisan policies on several issues confronting Washington. Its 501(c)(4) nonprofit affiliated group, the Bipartisan Policy Center Advocacy Network, is registered to lobby.

John Ritcher, Snowe’s former chief of staff, will also be joining the organization as a senior adviser.

“Her commitment to public service deserves tremendous praise,” Mitchell said in a statement. “I’m pleased to welcome a fellow Maine Senator to the Bipartisan Policy Center. Olympia will be a strong voice for the organization as it works to restore America’s trust in government.”

The well-known centrist was first elected to the House in 1978. Snowe served three terms in the Senate after winning election to upper chamber in 1994.

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