US freshman lawmakers draw lots for office space

Washington

FRESHMAN members of the House of Representatives are playing the lottery, though cash isn't the prize. Instead, they want a decent office they can call home for the next two years.

The draw is serious enough that some new lawmakers are turning to lucky charms. One says she's buying a "rabbit's foot". Another will pat a trusted University of Notre Dame logo.

Most say they're just happy to be coming to Washington and don't need fancy suites. Even so, they're trying to avoid some of the least-desirable locales. No one wants to be stuck on the fifth floor of the Cannon House Office Building, among the toughest places for lawmakers and constituents to reach.

"I've heard of people getting spots only accessible by one small elevator on the top of the Cannon building," said Ruben Gallego, an Arizona Democrat who will join Congress in January. The Iraq war veteran jokes that he's trying to lose weight so maybe "the further away the better" his …