Political novice Vipin Verma refuses to let things like his total lack of experience or a GOP-leaning district dampen his hopes of winning a Congressional seat this November.

Why? He clearly considers himself a Democratic rock star in the making.

No matter which section of the Verma for Congress site one pokes around, there they are, staring back at you: President John F. Kennedy, President Bill Clinton, President Barack Obama and … Verma.

“Those are my idols,” Verma said of the gallery of Democratic heavyweights into which the long-shot candidate from Florida’s 6th district has unabashedly inserted himself. Verma offhandedly described the snapshot of himself, fully bow-tied and suited up, as an “old picture,” but we’d bet dollars to doughnuts that’s a high school graduation portrait.

Verma is, at the moment, the lone Democratic challenger against a field of more seasoned Republican operatives. Yet Verma remains undaunted, compelled to run after watching the current crop of lawmakers futz around all last summer.

“The debt ceiling debate just kind of did it for me. People are hurting on the street, and they’re not doing anything about it,” he told HOH.

Should he pull off the underdog thing, Verma’s got some big ideas. He talked our ear off about economic development (favors public-private partnerships), high-tech manufacturing (LOVES nanotechnology), the housing crisis (leaning toward 40-year mortgages), Social Security (save now; reform later), alternative education (more college prep programs, vocational schools), deficit reduction (duh) and corporate tax reform (good luck with that).

“That’s my goal … if I can get into Congress,” Verma shared.