Source: Politico, New York Times, Rocky Mountain News, GayPolitics.com
Internet entrepreneur Jared Polis, 33, of Boulder, Colorado was sworn in today along with 54 other new members of the House of Representatives.
Polis becomes third openly gay member of the House, joining Reps. Barney Frank and Tammy Baldwin in that exclusive mini-caucus. He's the first out gay man be elected as a non-incumbent to the House.
He is also, Politico notes, among the wealthiest members on the Hill. By the time Polis was 30 years old, Fortune magazine estimated his wealth at $160 million. By then he had already been elected to the State Board of Education.
Today's schedule included a whirlwind of receptions and ceremonies as the newly elected members continue moving into their new Capitol Hill offices, Rocky Mountain News reports.
Politico notes that the 33 Democrats and 22 Republicans that comprise this year's freshman class in Congress don't appear to have any central organizing ideology, but columnist Charles Mahtesian finds in a class "more than a few characters on both sides of the aisle [who] are attracting notice, some for their unique backstories, some for their quick rise and others as players to watch in the future." He includes Polis among that group.
New York Times characterizes the new class as a "diverse but decidedly moderate group."
Some have no government experience at all; others like Pete Olson -- who returned Tom DeLay’s congressional seat to the Republicans this cycle -- worked for the veteran Senator John Cornyn of Texas, according to the New York Times.
Gary C. Jacobson, an expert on Congress and a professor at the University of California/San Diego, described for the New York Times the cumulative impact of the 2006 and 2008 elections: "I think the effect is to move the Democratic caucus somewhat to the right and if it wants to stay as large as it is now, it has to accommodate these folks.
"You’re not going to see any wild, left-wing policymaking," he predicted, according to the Times. "You're not going to get the Berkeley wish-list out of this crowd."
But Detroit News columnist sees in the new class greater than usual hope for LGBT rights. She writes:
Many of the freshmen come from states that already enjoy basic gay protections. So they'll be asked to extend those safeguards to all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans. And they'll be asked to update federal law to respect their state laws by, for example, getting rid of the discriminatory tax treatment of gay partners’ health benefits.
Politico notes that Polis will be joined by a handful of other 30-something freshman Democrats, among them Tom Perriello and Glenn Nye, both 34-year-olds from Virginia who knocked off Republican incumbents in GOP-leaning districts. The youngest new member of the House is Aaron Schock of Illinois, who is 27.
At age 66, the oldest two -- Walt Minnick of Idaho, a former Nixon aide who is now a Democrat, and Parker Griffith of Alabama – have birthdays about a month apart, the New York Times reports.
Polis is part of what Denver's Rocky Mountain News calls a "dramatic facelift" in Colorado's congressional delegation.
Out is Republican Sen. Wayne Allard. In comes Sen. Mark Udall, shifting over from the House of Representatives.
Also out are staunchly right-wing Republican Reps. Tom Tancredo and Marilyn Musgrave. In comes Republican Coffman and two Democrats, Betsy Markey and Polis, who is replacing the promoted Udall.
Meanwhile, Denver Schools Superintendent Michael Bennet is on Capitol Hill to witness the pomp and circumstance, according to Rocky Mountain News. Bennet was in DC in advance of his own expected appointment to take Sen. Ken Salazar's seat after Salazar is confirmed as Interior Secretary in President-elect Barack Obama's cabinet.
Polis, who has been active in educational issues in Colorado, announced Monday that he secured a seat on the House Committee on Education and Labor.
A major priority of the committee will be the reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind Act, the main federal law affecting education from kindergarten through high school, Polis said.
He'll be getting plenty of exercise as he treks from his new office to the Capitol building, Rocky Mountain News reports. He drew a low lottery number and will have to make do with one of the dreaded, fifth-floor offices at the Cannon House Office Building. It is, according to the Rocky, one of the most remote locations in the congressional complex, where not all the elevators go to the top floor.
Source: 13 up-and-comers in the '08 class - Charles Mahtesian - Politico.com
Polis to be sworn in as third openly gay member of Congress today | GayPolitics.com
Colorado's freshman legislators take their seats in Congress | Rocky Mountain News
New Voices in Congress Will Change the Tone of the Democratic Majority | New York Times