Austin Rich

Austin Rich’s political interests started, ironically, he said, in a gym.
 
He was working out with his dad when he met then-lobbyist Spencer Stokes in Utah. Stokes encouraged Rich to intern for Salt Lake County, which he did for two years. 

{mosads}When Stokes became chief of staff to Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) in 2011, he asked Rich to come on board. The 26-year-old legislative aide has worked for the senator and lived in Washington ever since.
 
Rich comes from an athletic family. His brother played for the Arizona Cardinals, and his dad played for the Los Angeles Express in the short-lived United States Football League.
 
When not spending time with his girlfriend, a Redskins cheerleader, Rich is exercising. He keeps his body fat between 11 and 12 percent by lifting, biking and running; he also enjoys swimming and the occasional Spartan Race.
 
While Rich will eat anything he can throw on the grill, fellow staffers laugh at him for sucking down a supplemental protein shake he drinks three times a day, which includes broccoli, spinach, kale, chard, blueberries, almonds and coconut milk.
 
“The senator laughs at me pretty hard — he laughs because it’s the most awful-tasting drink in the entire world,” Rich says.
 
Asked for his fashion advice for men: “Other than stay away from Crocs?” he quips. 

“Find a style that kind of works for you,” he says more seriously. “Heaven knows I’ve tried out enough of them until I’ve become comfortable.”
 
Rich has done a fair amount of traveling, to Costa Rica, the Bahamas and across Europe. Last year he went to Iceland, the year before it was Istanbul.
 
He’s trekking into the Song of Ice book series after getting hooked on “Game of Thrones,” reading the first 150 pages in a single sitting. 

“Lord of the Rings” and “Harry Potter” are right up his alley, too. He dressed up for every Harry Potter movie, including in 2011 when he gave Capitol tours in full Hogwarts garb.
 
“I got a lot of weird looks,” he says.
 
Last year, he dressed up as a bear and tried to fist bump Vice President Biden. 

“Secret Service wasn’t having that,” Rich says.

— Jesse Byrnes