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A new leadership battle has opened on Capitol Hill. Maryland's Chris Van Hollen says he will challenge Chuck Schumer of New York to become the Senate's top Democrat. Van Hollen says voters who generated a blue wave called for change. Some of that change has already arrived, though, on the Hill, with 100-plus newcomers starting freshman orientation this week. NPR congressional correspondent Barbara Sprunt reports on what it's like to learn the ropes.
BARBARA SPRUNT, BYLINE: Remember the first day of school or the first day of a new job? You're trying to understand what exactly you'll do day to day and also trying to figure out where the bathrooms are. Well, that's basically what's been happening here on the Hill.
LINDSAY JAMES: Where do you even begin? It's drinking from a fire hose.
SPRUNT: That's Lindsay James. She's a newly elected Democrat from Iowa.
JAMES: We're learning about how this place works, how to set up an office. We're learning about the different job descriptions.
SPRUNT: Newcomers are doing everything from peeking at potential offices and looking at different decor options to learning about security and how to hire their team. Orientation is 10 days long, and they're making every second count.
KRISTINA KNICKERBOCKER: I woke up at 4 a.m. yesterday, and I did not get home till 9 p.m. And I was in four-inch heels all day. That was a terrible decision.
SPRUNT: That's Kristina Knickerbocker, a newly elected Democrat from Ohio. In addition to learning about committees and ethics rules, she's also trying to figure out where she'll live come January.
JAMES: We're debating, like, do we need a studio? Do we need a one-bedroom? Because our kids will stay in Ohio, but when they're off for the summer, I'd love to be able to have them here. So we're going to figure it out.
SPRUNT: The Committee on House Administration runs this operation. Joe Morelle is the panel's top Democrat and likely next chairman. He says a big part of orientation is learning parliamentary procedure.
JOE MORELLE: Congressional procedure and how we do things here is markedly different than most state legislatures. So even people who served in the state or county level, when they come here, it's a whole new world.
SPRUNT: Orientation also helps incoming lawmakers from getting massively lost come January, although Morelle says the Capitol is a maze that takes some getting used to.
MORELLE: And look. I've been here eight years. There's days when we're walking down the halls in the basement, and I'll say, why's everybody following me? I don't know where I'm going.
SPRUNT: He says new members have lots of questions and that it can sometimes be an overwhelming experience.
MORELLE: You realize right here is where Abraham Lincoln stood. Or you go out into the chambers, and you're feet from where FDR gave the speech following the attacks on Pearl Harbor or where John Kennedy gave his State of the Union addresses. There are moments where you say, my Lord. How did I get here?
SPRUNT: He says that's a feeling that doesn't go away, whether you're a newbie or not.
Barbara Sprunt, NPR News, the Capitol. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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