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Washington Whispers
By Paul Bedard and Angie C. Marek
Posted Sunday, October 29, 2006
Get ready to hear a lot more about the Terps, Francis Scott Key, and the glorious blue crab if the Democrats take charge of the House in this week's midterm elections. That's because Mr. Maryland, Rep. Steny Hoyer, is set to move in as the House majority leader, the No. 2 slot behind likely Speaker Nancy Pelosi, by reason of, in no small part, his coast-to-coast campaigning-37 House districts in October alone. "Yeah, you could call him 'Mr. Maryland,'" says a pal. More than any other Maryland House member, Hoyer wears his state colors for all to see. Start with the University of Maryland, his alma mater. He's a regular at Terrapin games and even has a carved turtle on his desk. His betting currency of choice is lump crabmeat. Then there are his replicas of historical Maryland scenes like the Revolutionary War battle at Fort McHenry, which led Key to write "the Star-Spangled Banner."
There's also a softer side to the 67-year-old "Silver Fox." He has helped to establish "Judy Centers," named for his late wife, throughout the state to help in early-childhood development. And every day, he brings his English springer spaniel, Charlotte, to his office, where she guards the Maryland seal at the entrance.
But don't ask him about moving his Maryland museum to the majority leader's office. Like a superstitious skipjack captain, he's not going there until it happens. |