KENNEWICK - Kennewick attorney George Cicotte plans to formally announce this week his candidacy for the Fourth District Congressional seat held by Doc Hastings.

The Cicotte For Congress Campaign is holding public press conferences Thursday at three locations throughout the district, including Moses Lake at 5 p.m. at Sinkiuse Square.

Cicotte joins the crowded Republican field that has already announced for the Congressional race after Hastings announced he will not seek re-election.

If elected, Cicotte's priorities will be to fix the damage caused by the Affordable Care Act, create workable and ethical immigration laws, and balance the federal budget.

"I will work to match the skill with which Doc Hastings represented us and will seek to improve upon his outstanding record," Cicotte said. "I am the 'new person with new energy' to represent the Fourth District."

For more than 20 years, Cicotte had developed legal expertise by helping employers comply with federal healthcare and retirement laws. He said he plans to bring that expertise to Washington, D.C. to help Congress save future generations from the enormous tax hikes he believes could derail the nation and increase the federal debt.

"Fully half of the current federal budget is spent on healthcare and retirement," he said. "Now the Affordable Care Act is threatening to break the bond between healthcare and employment, casting an enormous burden on future generations. It's time to bring a common sense approach to our healthcare system that addresses the high costs of healthcare while at the same time deals with an aging population."

Cicotte has received support from numerous business owners and leaders in Central Washington including Roger Hastings, brother of Doc Hastings and retired co-founder of Petersen Hastings Investment Management, who is serving as Cicotte's honorary campaign chairman.

"I've known George Cicotte for over 20 years," Roger Hastings said. "He is smart, hard-working and disciplined. I believe his politics are best for the nation and the Fourth Congressional District."

Cicotte founded his own law firm in the Tri-Cities in 2002 and aggressively expanded into the health benefits market. The firm's health law practice is one of the largest in the region.

The other candidates to announce are state Sen. Janéa Holmquist Newbry, R-Moses Lake; former state Department of Agriculture director and legislator Dan Newhouse; Franklin County Commissioner Brad Peck; Clint Didier, former NFL tight end and Eltopia farmer; Gavin Seim, an Ephrata portraitist and filmmaker; Josh Ramirez of Pasco, who is a project special for a Hanford contractor; and Jamie Wheeler, an in-home care provider in Kennewick.