The new star names made their first day at the convention

The season is changing in Washington. On Monday, the sun was shining and it was 15 degrees, but the wind caused the leaves to fall from the trees.

Even inside the Capitol, change awaits. In the mid-year election, around a hundred new members were elected, which is significantly more than is usually the case.

Now they have started an induction week where they learn everything from where the toilets are in the giant building with 500 rooms, to what is expected of them in their new jobs.

Several of the members are Democrats who have won districts they themselves did not think they would carry.

"I didn't even know what a congressman made until yesterday," Democrat Zack Mullock told the Washington Sun when he arrived in the capital on Sunday.

A few months ago, many of the politicians were unknown to the general public, but now names like James Talarico, Abdul El-Sayed and Annie Andrews have become stars in the democratic sky.

A reporter in the House press room exclaimed that the senators reminded her of the superhero movies "X-Men" when she got to see them in the hallway, with wheelchair-bound Joshua Turek in the lead.

In addition to listening to information in the Capitol's large lecture hall, the new members got to meet sitting politicians in the House of Representatives and the Senate. Democrat James Talarico had a chat with Republican John Cornyn, who he is succeeding, and showed his constituents that he is serious about his campaign promise to work together across party lines.

- We are very far apart politically, but I think he deserves a fair chance to show what he stands for, John Cornyn said after the meeting.

So far, the newly elected politicians have nothing to say. The old congress meets for the rest of the year and then the members are sworn in in January.

One ceremony to watch is when Vice President JD Vance is forced to swear in Michigan Sen. Abdul El-Sayed — two men who have been at odds during the midterm election campaigns.

That the new congress does not take office until January is stipulated in the constitution. But the waiting time is also needed for a series of practical preparations. Each senator, for example, has their own chair, which they may purchase when they leave their post. Then a new one must be made by hand.

The chambers also need to be rearranged, depending on how many members there are from each party (Democrats should sit on the right as seen from the Speaker and Republicans on the left).

There are also many tricky rules that politicians need to learn before starting their new positions. For example, it is forbidden for a senator to drink coffee in the chamber, but milk is fine.