Writers’ Wednesday – On The GO! – A House Divided: Nevada Senator Bill Raggio and the Fracturing of the GOP (Off-site, KOP)
November 12 @ 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Writers’ Wednesday – On The GO!
Wednesday, November 12, 2025
5:00 – 5:30 pm – Building open
5:30 – 6:30 pm – Lecture
Speaker: Michael Archer, author
Title of Talk: A House Divided: Nevada Senator Bill Raggio and the Fracturing of the GOP
Summary of Talk:
My talk will cover one of the most significant shifts in U.S. political history as viewed through the career of Nevada’s foremost state legislator, Senator Bill Raggio. He was known for his charm, exceptional competence, and political finesse, particularly forging bipartisan alliances on crucial issues benefitting all Nevadans. A Republican, Raggio championed individual rights, limited government, and fiscal responsibility, but in a way that would, as he often said, deliver “lean government, but not a mean government.” He prized civility and respect for government institutions. Ethics and intellect were his guides, not party politics.
As hardliner radical-right factions rose to power within the GOP, Raggio resisted what he considered their extreme policies and unwillingness to compromise across the aisle. For that, he was vilified and driven from his leadership position. Raggio subsequently resigned from his Senate seat yet defiantly continued his struggle for the soul of the GOP.
My book A House Divided: Nevada Senator Bill Raggio and the Fracturing of the GOP (August 2024) is the basis for my talk. In addition to my observations while working at the legislature and extensive academic research, I interviewed dozens of those on both sides of the issues that drove this dramatic change in the political culture of Nevada and the Nation.
Speaker Bio:
Michael Archer is an American author and lecturer. In 2011, he released his critically acclaimed book, A Man of His Word: The Life & Times of Nevada’s Senator William J. Raggio. His articles and essays have appeared in The Nevada Review and Political History of Nevada-2016. Michael was the supervisory proofreader for the Senate Finance Committee during the 2003-2019 sessions.
His trilogy about surviving the harrowing ten-week-long communist siege of the U.S. Marine combat base at Khe Sanh in 1968 and the enduring impact it had on the combatants and their families received a Foreword Indies Book of the Year Award in 2016 and the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation’s Colonel Joseph Alexander Award for biography in 2019. He is also the recipient of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation’s 2024 Colonel Robert D. Heinl Award in the feature writing category for his contributions to Naval History magazine. Michael resides in Reno, Nevada.
The Writers’ Wednesday Lecture Series, held the second Wednesday of each month, features a different author who takes part in a book signing, a presentation and question-and-answer session with the audience.
The intent of the program is to highlight writers who specifically focus on Nevada, the Great Basin, or the West in general. The authors talk about the content of their books but also share details about the creative process.
We would like to thank our partner, the Knights of Pythias for hosting our off-site lectures.
The Knights of Pythias fraternal organization promotes friendship among men and for the general welfare of its membership. They strive to make the world a better place by practicing the principles of friendship, charity, and benevolence through community service. The Knights of Pythias has been serving Nevada communities across since the 1870s. There are only three active lodges left in the State of Nevada. The address is 980 Nevada Street, Reno, NV 89503.
