John Dingell named 'wisest' member of U.S. House in poll of Capitol Hill staffers

Posted on Thu, Aug 30, 2012 : 4:44 p.m.

Ann Arbor is known for having some of the smartest residents in the nation. Now it's known for electing possibly the smartest congressman in the United States.

That's according to a new poll that named 86-year-old U.S. Rep. John Dingell, a Democrat who has served in Congress since 1955, the "wisest" member of the U.S. House.

Coming in behind Dingell in the Washingtonian's "Best and Worst of Congress 2012" poll was Maryland Democrat Steny Hoyer, followed by Massachusetts Democrat Barney Frank.

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John Dingell

Ryan J. Stanton | AnnArbor.com

The Washingtonian counts on top Capitol Hill staffers to call the shots for its poll. Every election year, it surveys hundreds of aides, press secretaries, legislative directors and chiefs of committee staffs for their take on the best and worst of Congress.

"At times, they proved as partisan as their bosses," the Washingtonian wrote. "But where it counts — for example, who's hot and who's not — bipartisanship tended to prevail."

Dingell, D-Dearborn, and Hoyer got votes from both Republicans and Democrats in the "wisest" category. The Republican with the most votes was California's David Dreier.

Awards were given out for best and worst tweeters, most and least eloquent, meanest and nicest, hottest males and females, biggest gym rats and party animals, biggest disappointments, most clueless, most and least partisan, biggest fashion victims, most and least likely to star in a scandal, and more. Staffers also named who they'd like to see in the White House in 2017.

Ryan J. Stanton covers government and politics for AnnArbor.com. Reach him at ryanstanton@annarbor.com or 734-623-2529. You also can follow him on Twitter or subscribe to AnnArbor.com's email newsletters.

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