California Dreamy: Congressman Hunk

By now Californians know only too well that in the eyes of the East Coast, theirs is the land of the beautiful people, a population so obsessed with appearance that the demand for tucks, lifts and liposuction supports a thriving industry of plastic surgeons.

But truth be known, on any given day in the United States Congress, one can look down from the visitors gallery onto a sea of (mostly) men and wonder if there is a strand of natural hair color in the room. The view from upstairs reveals enough hair plugs and comb-overs to support the theory that Washington does indeed work hard at vanity, it’s just that Washington doesn’t get great results.

It is into this world of blue suit sameness, wingtips and general cosmetic mediocrity that California sent freshman Rep. Dan Hamburg (D-Ukiah), a tanned, coat-over-the-shoulder, bolo-tied Northern Californian who was promptly dubbed, in political circles, The Hunk.

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Throughout his nearly two years here, Hamburg has been haunted (we use the word advisedly; there are those who would pay money to have this problem) by his good looks. Far less was written about his legislation to preserve one of the last remaining tracts of ancient old-growth forests in Northern California than about his Gentleman’s Quarterly face.

People magazine dubbed him one of the 50 best-looking men in America; Washingtonian magazine crowned him one of the 25 sexiest. The Hill, a sort of political trade sheet, last month noted that although his hair has lately gone gray, he remains “the cutest congressman of them all.” A New York Times fashion supplement featured him--elbow hung casually on one knee, other arm against a tree, Capitol in the background--as evidence that Washington is no longer anti-fashion.

“It’s amusing. I’m not offended,” Hamburg said of the attention, relaxing in a chair in his office, haircut effortlessly in place, shirt the color of cafe-au-lait setting off his tan. “But it is kind of sexist.”

And of course it is; the world hasn’t evolved that far yet. And Hamburg does have this sort of California mystique--the rugged almost-shave, linen shirts (never white), sculpted cheekbones--that even nose-to-the-grindstone political types find hard to ignore, particularly in Washington, where his staff says his looks are a much bigger deal than they ever were on the West Coast.

One longtime Hill staffer, a woman who has seen it all, remembered flipping through the book of freshmen congressmen when Hamburg’s mug caught her eye. “My goodness,” she said aloud.

At a post-election reception for women newly elected to Congress, the sophisticated, predominantly female crowd “parted like the Red Sea” when Hamburg walked in, recalled his press secretary, Meg Ryan O’Donnell.

“I was mortified,” O’Donnell said. “Only in Washington would that have happened.”

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Of course the jury is less than unanimous on the subject. Ask Cathy Riggs, wife of Republican candidate Frank Riggs, the man from whom Hamburg snatched the seat in ’92 and who now wants it back.

“That’s a matter of opinion,” she chortled when asked of Hamburg’s hunk status. “It looks like the guy has poor self-esteem. He’s always slunching around.”

(It’s true he does sort of slouch. But Hamburg admirers would call this a runway model’s glide, that round-shouldered swagger that makes the really gorgeous look like they got that way without even bothering to stand up straight.)

Whether Hamburg’s looks are worth mentioning in this political season is not the issue. Relevant or not, the subject keeps coming up. Riggs’ campaign has even coined a little phrase responding to Hamburg’s face. “It takes an ugly man to do an ugly job,” they like to say.

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Hamburg--married for 23 years to the same woman, father of four, grandfather of one--is rather modest about all this. “I’m just an old geezer,” he jokes. “I turn 46 this week.”

Still, he could put on something Navy blue with an ugly tie and blend right in. Nobody’s forcing him to wear taupe suits and bolos so unusual they have become his trademark. (President Clinton even sent him one, with a longhorn steer on it).

Although Hamburg’s handlers say they make no attempt to exploit what God gave him, looks have always been a big factor when shaping a political image. The question is whether a candidate can be too good-looking, giving rise to the social mathematics that cute equals airhead.

“Good looks almost always help,” said Joe Cerrell, a Los Angeles political consultant, noting that state Assemblyman Rusty Areias (D-San Jose) was once named bachelor of the month by Cosmopolitan magazine and his political career is still well-intact.

“You put your best foot forward,” Cerrell said.

And in this age of electoral ignorance, when voters can scarcely find time to eat dinner let alone bone up on the issues, Hamburg’s best foot may be his face.