Posted by Keturah Hetrick on July 8, 2019
In the race for freshman representatives to get their offices fully operational, new LegiStorm salary data shows that Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.) was the tortoise, Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) the hare.
Underwood got the slowest start staffing her office of any freshman member, with a staff that worked a combined 652 days in her first three months in office. Haaland led the way with the House's fastest hiring, with a staff who worked 2.5 times that of Underwood's during the same time period.
Slow-moving members might get the luxury of thinking about their hires more carefully. However, they can also be at a disadvantage in competing for the best staffers, who get scooped up by other members. Slow hirers might also not have the staff to deal effectively with constituent and legislative needs in the first crucial months.
Reps. Ron Wright (R-Texas) and Sharice Davids (D-Kan.) followed Underwood with the slowest hiring. Reps. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) and Susie Lee (D-Nev.) were the next-fastest movers after Haaland.
Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Michael Braun (R-Ind.) got the fastest hiring starts in the Senate. However, it's not as easy to compare senators since the size of budgets for staff depend on which state they come from.
