Freshman GOP members continued their whirlwind orientation Tuesday, leaning on fellow state representatives, veteran members and each other.
“Congressman [John] Kline has been very helpful for me,” said Minnesota Republican Rep. Chip Cravaack. “He’s been a great mentor for me.”
“There’s a lot to learn and there’s a lot of good people to listen to.”
South Carolina Republican Rep. Tim Scott described his first few days in Washington “like drinking from a fire hydrant,” and with all the new information, finding sources of advice is necessary, he said. Noting the “good camaraderie” between first year members, Wisconsin Republican Rep. Sean Duffy also looks to his state congressmen for guidance.
“I look to our Wisconsin leadership team of Paul Ryan and Jim Sensenbrenner and to a little bit lesser extent congressman Petri,” said Duffy.
Florida Republican Rep. Allen West expressed his appreciation to current members of the GOP for welcoming the new members. Scott said he looked to the experience of soon-to-be Majority Leader and Virginia Republican Rep. Eric Cantor before he even got to Washington.
“The Young Guns in the Vanguard programs, we were all assigned mentors,” said Scott. “I spoke a lot with Eric Cantor.”
Overall, members expressed an understanding that their fist week is a crash course.
“Most of it is just touching the surface of what you need to know, it’s just a matter of making you aware of what’s going on and make sure you call people and ask questions,” said New Jersey Republican Rep. Jon Runyan. “I think everybody is kinda taking it all in and trying to really figure it out.”
While the fresh faces try to get acclimated to their surroundings for at least the next two years, taking time to get to know one another is difficult. However, Runyan, Cravaack, Duffy, Scott and West all witnessed good chemistry between the new representatives.
“You’re getting pulled all over the place but when we do get the opportunities, you see some friendships growing,” said West.
In the end, new members are thankful to get a taste for what to expect in their new jobs come January 2011.
“I’ve learned that this is a great honor, privilege and a huge responsibility,” said West. “There’s a lot of things that you gotta just learn through experience but at least we’re getting pointed in the right direction.”
