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WASHINGTON – Hayley King found herself blushing quite a bit more than normal on Wednesday.

That's because the Skowhegan native who works in Sen. Olympia Snowe's office was named one of the "50 most beautiful" people working on Capitol Hill on Wednesday by The Hill, a daily publication that chronicles government and politics in Washington.

"It's certainly flattering -- probably one of the more flattering things that has happened to me," King, 26, said Wednesday afternoon.

King, who is a legislative correspondent, has worked for Snowe for roughly two years and hopes to stay in Washington after Maine's senior senator retires at the end of the year.

Growing up in Skowhegan, King lived across the street from the Margaret Chase Smith Library where her mother worked. In fact, King credits Smith, who died in 1995, with sparking her interest in working in Washington.

“Being around this my whole life pushed me to look if Sen. Snowe had any openings,” she told The Hill in a bio posted on paper's website (but not published in the print edition).

King said she first got a call from The Hill about being considered for the "most beautiful" list a few months ago. But even though she was interviewed for a possible story, King wasn't sure she made the final cut until she got a call from her excited mother at 6:30 a.m. on Wednesday.

The rest of the day involved many more congratulatory emails, text messages, Facebook messages and, she added, "a lot of blushing."

King isn’t the first Mainer to appear on The Hill’s list, although she is the only resident of the Pine Tree State to make it this year. The list includes everyone from sitting members of Congress – including Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H. – to lobbyists, journalists and administrative staff with organizations active on Capitol Hill.

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Open Season targets all of Maine's political wildlife, from Portland city government to the donkeys, elephants and independents stalking the Statehouse and U.S. Capitol.

John Richardson joined the Press Herald in 1990 after working as a reporter in New Jersey. He has covered a variety of beats, including marine issues, the environment and health care. He is now covering politics and focusing on Maine's U.S. Senate race.
John can be reached at 791-6324 or jrichardson@pressherald.com
On Twitter: @jrichmaine

Colin Woodard has covered politics and elections for more than two decades, from Bosnia and Bucharest to Washington, D.C., Augusta, and Portland City Hall. He has written for a wide range of national and international publications and is the author of four books, including "American Nations," a history of North America's regional cultures. He joined the Portland Press Herald at the end of April and covers political finance and lobbying, among other things.
Colin can be reached at 791-6317 or cwoodard@pressherald.com

Susan Cover has covered Maine politics for 10 years and worked in Kansas, Ohio and Rhode Island as a reporter. This year, she is focusing on covering the same-sex marriage debate for MaineToday Media.
Susan can be reached at 621-5643 or scover@mainetoday.com

Michael Shepherd joined MaineToday Media in May 2012 after graduating from the University of Maine in Orono, where he edited The Maine Campus, the student newspaper there. Until November he'll be writing the Truth Test, a recurring feature analyzing political statements and advertising.
Michael can be reached at 621-5632 or mshepherd@mainetoday.com

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