A field guide to the new Republican Congress.
For the first time in the Obama era, the GOP is in control of both houses on Capitol Hill, with its largest House majority since the onset of the Great Depression. Which means the country’s legislative agenda now rests with the Republicans’ unruly flock of old suits and young guns, traditionalists and demagogues, Deep Southerners and few remaining New Englanders, committee chairs and 2016 hopefuls. In December, Politico Magazine contributing photographer Ben Baker met 40 members of the new Republican majority in their natural habitat, setting up in a studio in the Capitol for three days. Between votes, press conferences and hearings, the members sat for portraits whose every detail—a clenched fist, a loose tie, a perfect string of pearls—help to reveal the range of their personalities, ideologies and ambitions. They say Congress is its own subculture. Consider this a field guide to its new ruling class.
The Man With the Gavel—Above, House Speaker John Boehner is a deal maker in search of a deal. “Just because we may not be able to get everything we want doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to get what we can,” says the Ohioan.
A field guide to the new Republican Congress.
The Wonk With a Future
Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan will run the tax-writing Ways and Means Committee and aspires to a big reform bill. Will the former VP candidate run for president next? He’s not saying.
A field guide to the new Republican Congress.
The Agitator
Ted Cruz of Texas will forever be known as Senator Shutdown, though his new causes are opposing Obama’s Cuba opening and immigration action. Cruz’s parliamentary antics might help him mount a national campaign, but the backlash he risks is from the members of the Senate club—in his own party.
A field guide to the new Republican Congress.
The New Boss
California Rep. Kevin McCarthy spent the past few years as whip but now finds himself elevated to majority leader after the surprise primary loss of Eric Cantor. He’s promising action after two years of not so much. “Why put cliffs up that hold us back from doing bigger policy?” he says.
A field guide to the new Republican Congress.
The Write-In
Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska won reelection in 2010 by write-in after her party abandoned her for a Tea Partyer. Now she’s expected to chair the Energy Committee.
A field guide to the new Republican Congress.
The Outsider-Turned-Insider
Louisiana Rep. Steve Scalise used to beat the bushes against Boehner; now that he’s been brought into leadership as majority whip, will the conservative votes follow back into the fold? It’s an open question, especially amid recent controversy over a speech Scalise gave to a gathering of white supremacists in 2002.
A field guide to the new Republican Congress.
The Pugilist
Rep. Peter King of New York is the fiery former chair of the Homeland Security Committee (and a boxing fan), but these days he says the party is ill-served by “the Ted Cruzes and the Rand Pauls.”
A field guide to the new Republican Congress.
The Investigator
Rep. Darrell Issa of California—the richest man in Congress, incidentally—has served out his term as House Oversight Committee chairman. But it won’t be forgotten after four years of investigations into everything from the stimulus to health care, the IRS scandal to Benghazi.
A field guide to the new Republican Congress.
The Surfing Reaganite
California Rep. Dana Rohrabacher became famous as a flamboyant speechwriter and ideological warrior for the Gipper. After 26 years in the House, he’s oddly best known these days as a public defender of Russia’s KGB strongman-turned-president Vladimir Putin.
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