The Learning Curve: New Players in Congress

Every two years, the period between the November elections and the start of a new Congress is often the busiest time to cover Congress.

Journalists try to understand who won and who lost in the elections. The current Congress is back, trying to avert a government shutdown and often exploring the landscape of other major legislation. There are frequent leadership elections. For example, Sen. John Thune, RSD, Sen. John Cornyn, R-Tex., and Rick Scott, R-Fla., topped outgoing Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. Senate GOP leader. Thune begins Friday afternoon as Majority Leader. We still don’t know how long House Speaker Mike Johnson is fighting to get back into the speaker’s chamber. In 2023, former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., took 15 rounds before claiming the 2023 Speaker’s gavel.

Time management is a huge problem for me. The new Congress begins at noon on January 3. That’s why I spend my time between elections and the beginning of the new Congress to study, study and memorize the faces and biographies of as many MPs as possible.

It takes a lot of time. It is difficult to distinguish some teenagers from each other. Even getting the names and pronunciations right.

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It’s quite a learning curve.

During the holidays, this process becomes stronger. This is the last hike to start work on January 3rd.

Some people are easier to learn than others. Senator Andy Kim, DN.J. and Adam Schiff, D-Calif. at home Before joining the Senate. In fact, they were already senators. Other new senators are high-profile because they are running in competitive races. Sens.-elect Bernie Moreno, R-Ohio, Tim Sheehy, R-Mont. and Dave McCormick, R-Penn. Senator-elect Jim Justice, RW.W., did not face a tough race to join the Senate. But Justice cut her national profile before she could win — as did her constant canine companion, Babydog.

But the real adventure is getting to know all the new House members.

BURBANK, CALIFORNIA – MARCH 04: Democratic Senate candidate US Representative Adam Schiff (D-CA) speaks during the Get Out The Vote meeting at IATSE Local 80 on March 04, 2024 in Burbank, California. Rep. Schiff continues to campaign for the March 5th Super Tuesday primary. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

The house is a very big place. 435 people. Some new faces are chosen in the house. But many are obscure. And some of them are especially hard to learn if they didn’t face a competitive race or were relative unknowns.

The House begins Friday with 62 new members and non-voting representatives. My mission is to learn them all.

My daily exercise routine is a good opportunity for this. After all, the pace of Congress is kind of like a treadmill. But for my purposes, learning a freshman course is more like an elliptical. I go through the list of faces and names over and over – every morning my legs tremble. I rotate through the entire Home list at least twice. Then I take the list to the stationary bike and read more there.

Some names are more prominent than others. For example, Alaska Rep. Nick Begich III was known before the election. He defeated Rep. Mary Peltola, D-Alaska, in a close race this fall. In addition, his surname is rooted in American political history – but mostly Democratic Party. His uncle is former Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska. Her grandfather, the late Rep. Nick Begich, D-Alaska, was killed in a 1972 plane crash with the late House Leader Hale Boggs, D-La. Boggs is the father of the late ABC and NPR journalist Koki Roberts.

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I try to meet as many members of the incoming freshman class as possible. But as I wrote earlier, bandwidth is limited. Freshmen all descend on the Capitol complex during this frenzied post-election period for orientation. There are not enough minutes in the day.

But a few weeks ago, I had drinks with a good friend at The Monocle, a legendary Capitol Hill watering hole. I saw ex-Senator Begich walk in, but I couldn’t get his attention to say hello. After a few minutes, the congressman was elected. I took his arm and introduced myself and gave him a business card.

Trust me: it’s easier to remember the first course if you meet the members in person. And I was proud of myself for being able to pick Rep.-elect Begich out of the crowd based on my education.

Sen. Joe Manchin (I-WV) walks with staff on the east front of the U.S. Capitol on June 5, 2024 in Washington, DC. Both houses of Congress have a short week as members travel to France for the 80th anniversary of the D-Day invasion in Normandy. (Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images) (Kent Nishimura)

I am Rep.-elect Julie Fedorchak, R-Ohio, RN.D. and spent some time chatting with Dave Taylor. I am sure I will recognize those members.

Then there are people who leave Congress and come back. Former Reps. Marlin Stutzman, R-Ind. And that’s the case with Cleo Fields, D-La. Stutzman served in Congress just a few years ago and is coming back. Fields served in the House nearly three decades ago, in the 1990s, when he was in his thirties.

I mentioned the representatives a little earlier.

Del.-elect Kimberlyn King-Hinds, R-Northern Mariana Islands, arrives in Washington as a freshman in a few days. He manages to retire from D-Northern Mariana Islands, Del Kilili Sablan. I have yet to meet King-Hinds. However, numerous photos circulating show her wearing a tropical floral headdress. I don’t know if King-Hinds always dress like this. But such clothes will make King-Hinds easier to recognize.

For example, the signature cowboy hat worn by Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., sets her apart.

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Then there are the pronunciations. Each named MP-elect Tim Moore, RN.C. or not as easy as Rep.-elect Gabe Evans, R-Colo. Rep.-elect Suhas Subramanyam, D-Va. It’s pronounced soo-bruh-MAHN-yum. The last name of Rep.-elect Abe Hamadeh, R-Ariz., is pronounced HAMM-uh-day. And the aforementioned Julie Fedorchak says her last name is fedd-ORR-check.

I called for military service Fox News Radio reporter Ryan Schmelz will ask me about the backgrounds of some of the freshmen — as well as match photos with names. When Schmelz showed me a picture of Rep.-elect Sarah Elfreth, D-Md., I had no trouble guessing correctly. He managed to retire. D-Md.

But when Schmelz showed me a picture of D-Ore’s Maxine Dexter, I stumbled. I immediately learned that the congresswoman was named “Maxine.” I was sure he was a Democrat Greetings from Oregon. I even knew who succeeded him: retiring Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore. But I didn’t get his last name. I wanted to say “Deeter”. But I knew it wasn’t right.

The Democratic Mule and Republican Elephant statues in front of the Willard Hotel in Washington (Visions of America/Universal Pictures Group via Getty Images)

So Schmelz confused me there.

But it’s a learning process. Even though I knew Dexter then, you can bet I won’t forget him now.

And look forward to meeting him. I have known his predecessor for years.

But frankly, you don’t really learn about Members by reading books. You learn by seeing them in the hall. A conversation with them in the speaker’s lobby. Communicate with them in interviews. To see how they did in the auditions. You see how they behave on the floor.

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And the best way to learn them?

Observing how they vote and act as members of Congress.