Beekeeper, baker, photographer ... senator?
Here’s what your elected officials are doing when not prowling the Capitol
Senators, unlike celebrities, actually are just like us. When not working, they cook, bake, go running, practice yoga, shop for antique rugs and indulge in other pastimes to clear the head, fuel the soul and keep themselves healthy. Even the leaders have their distractions; the Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., loves to tailgate at University of Louisville football games, and to watch the Washington Nationals play baseball. When he can fit it in, Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, tools around on a bike. Here are several of the more interesting pastimes that senators enjoy.
RUCK MARCHING JONI ERNST, R-IOWA
Ernst, a member of the military since she was in college, was deployed to Kuwait during the Iraq War and is no stranger to long marches with heavy gear.
As a senator, she has turned that experience into a hobby, leading runs and walks around the Capitol, sometimes at the crack of dawn, with staff members, military liaison and really anyone who is willing to put on a rucksack and march at a brisk pace around the Mall and beyond.
“It’s about bringing people together in a fun way where we can laugh and joke,” said Ernst, whose gentle encouragement makes it hard for staff members to skip the 6 a.m. marches. “There is some seriousness to it when we are discussing different policies or initiatives. However, for the most part it’s about developing relationships, and that camaraderie brings me joy.”
PLAYING PIANO DEBBIE STABENOW, D-MICH.
The senator hails from a musical family; her father had a swing band and taught her at an early age to play boogie-woogie. Childhood music lessons paid off in college in the 1970s at Michigan State, when she would alternate between the piano and guitar during bar gigs as part of the duo Dale and Debbie. These days, she plays her baby grand at home in Lansing whenever possible, and can still belt out some Carole King.
In 2014, when Sen. Ted Cruz, RTexas, complicated some spending legislation in a manner that forced his colleagues to work all day and night on a Saturday, Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., got her hands on a keyboard. Stabenow got a bipartisan Christmas carol singalong rocking.
“It was fun, and to be honest it was in the middle of a crazy and difficult time and it really brought people together,” she said. “That’s what music is for me. It crosses party lines. It humanizes all of us.”
BEEKEEPING PATRICK J. TOOMEY, R-PA.
Toomey began reading about beekeeping last year after a college buddy and established beekeeper piqued his interest. He became “fascinated with these creatures” and their complex social system. When his son Patrick discovered a new beekeeping technology, he decided to go all in, with homegrown honey. He spent the spring landscaping for the arrival of his hive, including building a water source to keep bees out of his pool. Things are now buzzing along.
“When you’re in my line of work, you’re often dealing with abstractions. It’s fun to have something tangible, where you can see results.”
PERFECTING THE MUFFIN SUSAN COLLINS, R-MAINE
Collins learned to cook growing up in Caribou, Maine, at the arm of her mother, Pat Collins, who took copious notes while watching Julia Child on television. She also loves to bake, and her specialty is all manner of muffins, particularly ones with Maine blueberries. She keeps a nonstick muffin pan in her homes in Bangor and Washington, as well as in her cabin at Cold Stream Pond in Maine, so it is basically nonstop muffin time.
“I think given the nature of my job, cooking is just a good diversion for me,” she said. “You can’t be thinking as much about the weighty world issues or domestic problems. It’s a nice break.”
AMATEUR PHOTOGRAPHY ANGUS KING, I-MAINE
“I remember having a Kodak as a kid, and I remember when I was about 10 years old I had a friend with a darkroom” who would “put the paper in the liquid and something magical would appear,” King said. “Digital makes it so much easier.” He has a minor fixation with his Instagram account, where he posts every two or three days.
King shoots views of Washington that people would not normally get to see “This gives me a chance to share with people back home what I do down here,” he said.
PILATES INSTRUCTOR HEIDI HEITKAMP, D-N.D.
Heitkamp took up Pilates at the suggestion of a friend after she lost the governor’s race in 2000. She enjoyed it so much that the same friend said she ought to become certified to teach. She did, and went on to serve as a fill-in teacher at the local church. Her day job keeps her too busy to substitute these days.
The intensive breathing techniques are a boon in stressful legislative moments. “If I find myself getting anxious,” Heitkamp said, “I just focus on my core and breath.”