Every two years, the period between the November election and the start of the new Congress is often the busiest period for Congressional coverage.
Journalists try to figure out who won their election and who lost. Current Congress He's back trying to prevent a government shutdown and often surfs the spectacle of other major legislation. Often there are leadership elections. For example, Sen. John Thune, R-Fla., defeated Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, and Rick Scott, R-Fla., to succeed outgoing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., as the top nominee. Leader of the Republican Party in the Senate. Thune starts as majority leader Friday afternoon. We still don't know how much of a struggle House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., will face when he returns to the Speaker's Suite. It took former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, Republican of California, 15 rounds before he won the House speaker's gavel in 2023.
Time management is an issue for me with so much going on. The new Congress begins at noon on January 3. So I spend time Between elections At the beginning of the new Congress, learn, study, and memorize the faces and biographies of the largest possible number of new legislators.
It takes a long time. It's a challenge that sets some rookies apart from others. So get the names and pronunciation correct.
It's quite a learning curve.
This process intensifies during the holidays. It's the final stretch of launching things on January 3rd.
Some people are easier to learn than others. Sens. Andy Kim, D-N.J., and Adam Schiff, D-Calif., were household names at home Before joining the Senate. In fact, they have already become senators. The other new senators stand out because they ran competitive races. Think of Sens.-elect Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, Tim Sheehy, R-Mont., and Dave McCormick, R-Pa. Senator-elect Jim Justice did not face a tough competitor to join the Senate. But Justice cut short his national profile before winning – as did his constant canine companion Baby Dog.
But the real adventure is getting to know all the new members of the House of Representatives.
BURBANK, CA – MARCH 04: Democratic Senate candidate U.S. Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) speaks during a Get Out The Vote meet and greet at IATSE Local 80 on March 04, 2024, in Burbank, California. Rep. Schiff is continuing his campaigning ahead of the Super Tuesday primary on March 5th. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
Home is a huge place. 435 people. Some new faces emerge in the House of Representatives. But much of it is ambiguous. Some of them are especially difficult to know if they have never faced a competitive race or are relatively unknown.
The House of Representatives begins on Friday with 62 new members in attendance, in addition to delegates who are not entitled to vote. My mission is to learn them all.
My daily exercise routine is a good opportunity for this. Ultimately, the pace of Congress resembles a treadmill. But for my purposes, learning in a freshman class is more like an elliptical game. I go through the list of faces and names over and over, as my legs move each morning. I rotate through the entire House menu at least twice. Then I take the list to the stationary bike and study some more there.
Some names are more obvious than others. For example, Rep.-elect Nick Begich III, R-Alaska, was well-known before the election. He defeated Rep. Mary Peltula, D-Alaska, in a close race this fall. Additionally, his title is steeped in American political history—but mostly with… Democratic Party. His uncle is former Sen. Mark Begich, Democrat of Alaska. His grandfather, the late Rep. Nick Begich, D-Alaska, was killed in a 1972 plane crash along with the late House Majority Leader Hale Boggs, D-Los Angeles. Boggs is the father of the late ABC and NPR journalist Cookie Roberts.
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I try to meet as many members of my freshman class as possible. But as I wrote before, bandwidth is limited. All new students descend on the Capitol complex during this joyous period after orientation elections. There are not enough minutes in the day.
But I was having a drink with a dear friend at The Monocle, a legendary drinking spot on Capitol Hill, a few weeks ago. I saw former Senator Begich walk in – but I couldn't catch him to say hello. A few moments later, the congressman-elect passed by. I took his arm, introduced myself, and gave him a business card.
Trust me: It's easier to memorize a new class if you meet the members in person. I was proud of myself because I was able to choose representative-elect Begic from a crowd of people – based on my studies.
Senator Joe Manchin (I-WV) walks with staff on the East Front of the US Capitol on June 5, 2024 in Washington, DC. Both chambers of Congress have a short week when members will travel to France to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion in Normandy. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images) (Kent Nishimura)
I spent some time chatting with Reps-elect Julie Fedorchak, R-Ohio, and Dave Taylor, R-Ohio. So I am confident in knowing these members.
Then there are people who left Congress – and came back. Such is the case with former Reps. Marilyn Stutzman, Republican of Indiana, and Cleo Fields, Democrat of Los Angeles. Stutzman served in Congress just a few years ago and will return. Fields served in the House for nearly three decades in the 1990s when he was in his 30s.
I mentioned the delegates a little earlier.
Rep.-elect Kimberlin King Hinds, R-Northern Mariana Islands, will be coming to Washington as a freshman in just a few days. I succeeded in retiring Dale. Kilili Sablan, Northern Mariana Islands. I haven't met King Hinds yet. But many of the photos posted show her wearing a tropical flower headdress. I don't know if this is what King Hinds wears all the time. But such clothing would make King-Hinds easier to recognize.
For example, the distinctive cowboy hat worn by Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., makes her stand out.
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Then there is pronunciation. Not every name is as easy as Rep.-elect Tim Moore, R-Colo., or Rep.-elect Gabe Evans, R-Colo. Try Rep.-elect Suhas Subramaniam, D-Virginia. It is pronounced su-bruh-mahn — yum. The surname of Rep.-elect Abby Hamadeh, R-Ariz., is pronounced HAMM-uh-day. The aforementioned Julie Fedorchak says her last name is fedd-ORR-check.
I enlisted Fox News Radio Reporter Ryan Schmelz asks me about the backgrounds of some of the new students — as well as matching photos with names. I had no problem guessing correctly when Schmelz showed me a photo of Rep.-elect Sarah Elfreth, Democrat of Maryland. She succeeded the retirement of Rep. John Sarbanes, Democrat of Maryland.
But I stumbled when Schmelz pointed to a photo of Rep.-elect Maxine Dexter, Democrat of Oregon. I knew right away that the congresswoman-elect was named “Maxine.” I was sure it was democratic and Hailed from Oregon. I even knew who she would succeed: retiring Rep. Earl Blumenauer, Democrat of Oregon. But I didn't get the last name. I wanted to say “dieter.” But I knew that wasn't true.
Statues of the Democratic Mule and the Republican Elephant in front of the Willard Hotel in Washington, DC (Visions of America/Global Image Collection via Getty Images)
So, Schmelz surprised me there.
But this is the learning process. And even though I didn't know Dexter then, you can bet I won't forget her now.
We look forward to meeting her. She has known her predecessor for years.
But honestly, you don't learn organs by studying a book. You learn them by seeing them in the hall. Chat with them in the Speaker's Lobby. Interact with them in interviews. See how they do at hearings. Watch how they handle themselves on the ground.
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What is the best way to learn it?
Monitor how they vote and perform as a member of Congress.
