WASHINGTON – Neither candidate has been declared a winner, but both Charlie Brown and Tom McClintock will be in Washington this week to attend freshman orientation for newly elected members of Congress.
Maybe they'll both show up this morning on the steps of the U.S. Capitol, when the newcomers pose for their official class photograph.
"That may be a collector's item," McClintock spokesman Bill George said Thursday.
McClintock, a Republican state senator, and Brown, the Democratic candidate, remain in a tight contest to replace retiring Republican Rep. John Doolittle in the 4th Congressional District.
As of Sunday, McClintock held a slight lead of 691 votes, with tens of thousands of ballots left to count.
With the race so close, both candidates have been invited to attend the orientation. And they're in for a busy week.
The orientation began Sunday with an eight-hour session at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill. After posing for the class photo this morning, the newcomers will start learning the nuts and bolts of life in Congress, attending sessions on pay and benefits, health and wellness, personnel policies, office budgets and staff hiring.
Newcomers will meet with their party caucuses Wednesday. And that night, they and their spouses will attend a "celebration reception" at the U.S. Botanic Garden. One of the biggest events will come Friday, when members participate in a room lottery to get their office assignments.
Call Rob Hotakainen, McClatchy Washington Bureau, (202) 383-0009.
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