Freshmen in Congress Play the Lottery to Avoid Office Horrors
One incoming member of the House of Representatives says shes buying a rabbits foot. Another will pat a trusted University of Notre Dame logo.
Theyre playing the lottery, though cash isnt the prize. Instead, they want a decent office that theyll call home for the next two years.
Most newly elected House lawmakers say theyre just happy to be coming to Washington and dont need fancy suites. Even so, theyre paying close attention to tomorrows congressional office lottery. No one wants to be stuck on the fifth floor of the Cannon House Office Building, among the toughest spots for lawmakers and constituents to reach.
Ive heard of people getting spots only accessible by one small elevator on the top of the Cannon building, said Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democrat who will join Congress in January. The Iraq war veteran jokes that hes trying to lose weight so maybe the further away the better his office is from the House floor.
These are all freshman horror stories, though, so I dont know if theyre true, he said.
The prevalence of the tales means the 55 newcomers to the House -- five races are still undecided -- and their staffs will be on high alert tomorrow.
Heres how the House lottery works: The low-on-the-totem-pole freshmen draw numbers that dictate the order in which they can choose among the empty office spaces passed over by more senior lawmakers.
Some offices are larger than others, some have nice views of Washington, some are closer to the floor where the members will vote and others are closer to Washington Metro subway stations -- making it easier for constituents to visit.
As with many things in Congress, the U.S. Senate has a different system than the House. Instead of a lottery, the Senate Rules Committee makes office assignments based on seniority. Freshman lawmakers are given temporary spaces as more senior members have first pick of the offices of retiring members or those with more years in the Senate.
The freshman members have a choice of whats left over based on a system that weighs, among other things, previous elected service and the population of the state theyll represent in the Senate.
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Freshmen in Congress Play the Lottery to Avoid Office Horrors