The fittest office
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Senate Majority Leader John Thune's office is on the cusp of victory in the annual bipartisan Congressional Physical Activity Challenge, sources familiar tell us.
- 🗳 Why it matters: Bragging rights are on the line. But there's controversy in this year's contest.
Zoom in: Thune's team is the most active team on average, which gives them a claim to victory.
- But on overall points, Sen. Cynthia Lummis' (R-Wyo.) team will take the top spot for the third year in a row.
- Or in terms congressional staffers might appreciate: Thune's team won the electoral college; Lummis' squad took the popular vote.
Zoom out: It's not quite the Masters, or the French Open, but every May, aides and lawmakers across the Capitol sneak workouts into their busy schedules to rack up points for their team, as the Washington Examiner reported.
- Teams carefully monitor the leaderboard, where data from their special (loaned) smart watches get uploaded.
- 21 teams — from both chambers and parties — competed this year.
- While the official results have not been released, the contest has ended and teams are able to view their standing in an app.
The intrigue: Sen. Rick Scott's (R-Fla.) office appears to be in close second behind Team Thune in the esteemed "average points" category.
- Some Scott competitors have internally raised the idea of a recount to ensure all their points have been tallied, sources tell us.
What they're saying: "Honored that Team Lummis has once again won most points," Lummis told Axios in a statement. "I'm pleased that so many teams competed and improved their physical health this year."
- "I'm looking forward to seeing which team ultimately claims the 'average points' sub category," she added.
— Stef Kight and Hans Nichols
