Heard on the Hill: Five Members We Wouldn’t Want to Mess With

Tweet

Email

• By Jessica Estepa
• Roll Call Staff
• Aug. 4, 2011, Midnight

Hey there, tough guy. You think you’re so big and so strong?

HOH decided to pick the five toughest Members of Congress, according to, well, us. We’re pretty sure these Members could kick your arse.

1. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.)

She may be smaller in stature than the rest on this list, but after being shot in January, she went through a tough recovery, only to surprise everyone by showing up Monday night to vote on the debt ceiling bill. If that isn’t tough, we don’t know what is.

2. Rep. Jon Runyan (R-N.J.)

The former football player was an offensive tackle in the NFL for 13 seasons. Before that, he played college football, high school basketball and shot put (ooo, shot put). This athlete isn’t one to mess with — he can block both legislation and you.

3. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.)

Long before his stint as Majority Leader, he made his way as an amateur boxer. Later, as chairman of the Nevada Gaming Commission, he fought organized crime. He’s on top of it, physically, politically and lawfully.

4. Rep. Michael Grimm (R-N.Y.)

As a former FBI agent, he’s gone undercover, helping reveal the activities of the Gotti clan, which dominates organized crime in New York City. As a Marine, he served in the Persian Gulf War. We’d rather not have to throw down with him on or off the House floor.

5. Any Democrat in the Congressional Shootout.

We think this is self-explanatory, but in case you need it: The Democrats were better shots than the Republicans in this year’s shootout, sponsored by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation. We repeat: The Dems were the better shots. ’Nuff said.

Tweet

Email