Thread: Illinois pizza man among newbies to Congress

Nov 19, 2010

Illinois pizza man among newbies to Congress

09:30 AM

If the midterm elections were about shaking up the Washington establishment, then count Republican Bobby Schilling among the ultimate outsiders.

Schilling is the pizza guy in Congress. The owner of a pizza parlor in Moline, Ill., Schilling decided to take a stand for smaller government and lower taxes. He defeated Democratic Rep. Phil Hare to become the first GOP lawmaker to serve his western Illinois district since 1980.

There are nearly 100 freshmen entering Congress in January, so it's been hard to figure out who they all are. But Schilling has been profiled a lot this week in stories about the newcomers to Capitol Hill, perhaps because how many other pizzeria owners have been elected to the House?

Schilling told ABC's Rick Klein this week that he's not going to take the government-funded health care or pension that's given to members of Congress. "I've done a contract with my district," he told ABC.

By the way, there are roughly 40 new members of the House and Senate who -- like Schilling -- have never been elected to anything until now.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities ... ongress-/1

Nov 19, 2010

Fewer women, many lawyers and an ex-football tackle to join Congress

07:30 AM

By Dave Martin, APWant to get a leg up on trivia about the new Congress?

Various news organizations have been compiling demographics on the new House members and senators who were elected this month. The stats can be dizzying but here are a few from our friends at Congressional Quarterly:

Women: There won't be as many women serving, compared with the current term. In the House, there will be at least 73 women lawmakers (a drop of four) and 16 in the Senate (one less). Democrat Terri Sewell represents two firsts for her home state: She's the first woman and first black woman elected to Congress from Alabama.

Religion: Roman Catholics top the list, with at least 22 serving in the Senate and 126 in the House. Democrat Colleen Hanabusa of Hawaii becomes the third Buddhist.

Professions: Lawyers will be all over the Senate, where at least 52 say that's their job, tops on the Senate's list. That compares with 148 in the House -- the third most popular profession. Businessmen and women top the House jobs list.

Two sports figures are coming to Washington: Republican Jon Runyan, a tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles, will represent a New Jersey district. From the owner's box, GOP businessman Jim Rennacci, a former co-owner of an Arena League football team and a minor league baseball team, was elected to represent an Ohio district.

Minorities: Two black lawmakers will join the House, increasing their ranks to 44, and two more Asian Americans will also be serving in Congress. There will be 23 Hispanics in the House, down from 25.
Age: Our friends at National Journal say the average age of the incoming GOP class is 48 years old, slightly older than the Republican Revolution Class of 1994 (the average age then was 44).

Note: CQ's stats are as of Nov. 4 and don't include any races that were too close to call at the time. We included Sen. Lisa Murkowski to the list of women in the Senate.

http://content.usatoday.com/communities ... raphics-/1