Jeff Dufour and Patrick Gavin cover people, power and politics in the beltway each weekday. Email them at yan@dcexaminer.com .

Are these head-turners headed to Washington?



“D.C. is Hollywood for ugly people.” We’ve heard it so much we’re tired of it.



Yet even a town with a reputation for slovenliness occasionally lands itself a hot politician. Pols like Rep. Mary Bono, R-Calif., and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., would stand out as much in Tinseltown as they do in Tenleytown (or wherever they live locally). But who might be arriving in January to join them? Which congressional challengers should we be pulling for, if only for purely shallow reasons?

To assist us, we called on a panel of local experts: Lynda Erkiletian, president of T.H.E. Artist Agency, Washington’s top modeling agency; Erwin Gomez of the Erwin Gomez Salon & Spa, the makeup artist and “eyebrow guru” for the Bush twins and countless other famous faces in D.C.; and Ashley Taylor, manager of the Ann Hand jewelry boutique in Georgetown.

They winnowed down a list of 20-odd candidates to three men and three women who they think would have instant star power and sex appeal from the moment they landed at Reagan to take the oath.

Online Poll Using WebSurveyor














Diane Farrell

Democrat, Connecticut’s 4th District

» Who is she?: A former teacher and advertising executive, Farrell has served as first selectwoman of Westport for eight years.

» What the panel says: A unanimous choice, Taylor calls her “beautiful and classy.” Erkiletian adds that she “looks like someone you could approach for advice,” while Gomez says “she looks like she knows what is going on. I would just polish her up to look more glamorous.”

» Chances of seeing her in Congress: Good. Farrell came within 4 percentage points of ousting incumbent Christopher Shays in 2004, and this rematch is now neck and neck.


Jim Feldkamp

Republican, Oregon’s 4th District

» Who is he?: A small business owner and former Navy Reservist, Feldkamp was also a counterterrorism specialist for the FBI in the aftermath of 9/11.

» What the panel says: “He is the perfect husband,” Erkiletian says. “He could also do the daddy and business executive well” in photo shoots. Taylor gives him points for a “great smile.”

» Chances of seeing him in Congress: Not good. He’s running a rematch against incumbent Democrat Peter DeFazio, who beat him 61-38 in 2004.


Kirsten Gillibrand

Democrat, New York’s 20th District

» Who is she?: A partner at the law firm of Boies, Schiller & Flexner and a former special counsel to the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development during the Clinton administration.

» What the panel says: “She reminds me of Tipper Gore,” says Gomez. “I like Tipper. But, I must say [she] is better looking. Nice blue eyes, but [she] needs to swing by and let me do some eyebrow grooming.”

» Chances of seeing her in Congress: Good. She shows signs of being able to challenge incumbent Rep. John Sweeney.


Scott Kleeb

Democrat, Nebraska's 3rd District

» Who is he?: This 31-year-old Yale graduate is a fourth generation ranch hand and a great-grandson of a 1870s Nebraska homesteader.

» What the panel says: “He is flawless,” exults Erkiletian, speaking for a unanimous panel. “Hope he is moving to D.C. sooner rather than later.” Taylor adds that he “looks like a good ole country boy!” as does Gomez, although Gomez wants to put him in Armani and slick back his hair.

» Chances of seeing him in Congress: Getting better. This seat hasn’t gone Democrat since 1961, but if Democrats enjoy a landslide, this could be part of it.


Darcy Linn

Republican, California’s 10th District

» Who is she?: A finance manager who co-chaired President Bush’s 2004 reelection effort in San Francisco, she often acts as a GOP spokeswoman.

» What the panel says: Another unanimous choice, Taylor calls her a “California girl — you’ve gotta love her.” Gomez says she “will make men listen by her smile and her eyes” — even more so if she would let him “enhance her makeup.”

» Chances of seeing her in Congress.: Infinitesimal. She's running an uphill race against Rep. Ellen Tauscher in this solidly Democratic district outside San Francisco.


Italo Zanzi

Republican, New York’s 1st District

» Who is he?: Born in the U.S. of Chilean parents, this 32-year-old not only runs Major League Baseball’s Hispanic marketing programs, he also plays goalkeeper for the U.S. national handball team.

» What the panel says: “I find him attractive,” says Erkiletian. “He would probably get into trouble here. Just too cute.”

» Chances of seeing him in Congress: Slim. Although New York’s 1st District has a strong GOP presence, Newsday is predicting that Zanzi’s opponent, incumbent Tim Bishop, will win easily.








Candidate hoping for two votes per citizen



Shelley Sekula-Gibbs wants the voters of Texas’ 22nd District to know that voting for her twice on Nov. 7 does not constitute voter fraud.

Sekula-Gibbs is the Republican looking to fill the remainder of Rep. Tom DeLay’s, R-Texas, term. DeLay resigned earlier this year under an ethical cloud.

She’s also running for the same seat in the new Congress that begins in January.

Here’s the rub: Sekula-Gibbs is favored to win the special election for the rest of this term, because she faces only token opposition from other Republicans, and the local party has rallied around her.

But she better not get too comfortable in her Cannon Building office. In the general election for next Congress, her name won’t even appear on the ballot. Because DeLay resigned after the primary, officials ruled that his name couldn’t be replaced. Republicans now own a blank slot on the ballot.

Sekula-Gibbs’ Web site instructs voters on how to write her in, and she has produced a TV spot entitled “Vote Twice for Shelley.”

Thanks in part to the confusion, well-known Democrat Nick Lampson, a former congressman, is expected to win. If he does, it would put Sekula-Gibbs in the company of the “accidental senator,” Dean Barkley. After Sen. Paul Wellstone, D-Minn., died in a plane crash days before the 2002 election, Independent Gov. Jesse Ventura nominated Barkley to fill out his term during the lame-duck session. Less than two months later, Barkley left town when the winner of the election, Republican Norm Coleman, was sworn in.





Cal and the Congressman



Orioles legend Cal Ripken Jr. and Rep. Bob Inglis, R-S.C., made for an unlikely pair Sunday as both appeared on ESPN’s “Outside the Lines” to champion the cause of former Kansas City Royals player Willie Mays Aikens.

Aikens, who played collegiate ball at South Carolina State and had two multihomer games in the 1980 World Series, is serving a 20-year sentence for selling crack to an undercover officer.

“[A]fter serving more than 10 years in prison, Willie Mays Aikens deserves clemency,” Ripken read from a letter he wrote supporting a presidential pardon for Aikens. “Since I know Willie personally, I think he especially needs a second chance.”

Inglis said that Aikens’ “notoriety might actually help move the conscience of the nation toward doing something” about the severity of penalties for possession of crack versus powder cocaine.







Speakeasy



“... the most ridiculous idea for moving people around ...” – Jerry Seinfeld, opening his show at The George Washington University Friday night with a rant on the people movers at Dulles Airport

Andrew White and Kelly Mahon contributed to this page.