It’s that time of year for politicians from both sides of the aisle to take a break and share a laugh. The 72^nd Annual Congressional Dinner, the long-standing Capitol Hill tradition of a light-hearted evening, is on Feb. 25.  

Amid partisan battles over filling the Supreme Court vacancy, bipartisanship will come alive at the Mandarin Oriental. Hosted by the Washington Press Club Foundation, the event will feature members of Congress, senators and of course, the press.  

Featured speakers this year are Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and retiring Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. CBS correspondent Bill Plante is the emcee and Associated Press reporter Linda Deutsch is receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award.  

The reception starts at 6:30 p.m. and the dinner and program is at 8 p.m. in the hotel. The event is black tie optional.  

Proceeds from the dinner support the Washington Press Club Foundation’s educational programs. Some examples of these programs are summer internships in D.C. for aspiring journalists and an oral history program chronicling trailblazing female journalists.  

Roll Call’s Vice President Dave Meyers served as the dinner’s president of the board until his term ended last summer.  

Last year’s event featured speakers Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., and Rep. Charles B. Rangel, D- N.Y., and MSNBC’s Alex Wagner was the master of ceremonies.  

See photos, follies, HOH Hits and Misses and more at Roll Call’s new video site.


Get breaking news alerts and more from Roll Call in your inbox or on your iPhone.