The Hill's 50 Most Beautiful People

Age: 26
Hometown: Skowhegan, Maine
Political party: Republican
Relationship status: Single 

Hayley King wants to make something clear: She is not related to that other King from the Pine Tree State, even though her dad’s name, coincidentally, is also Stephen. 

“It was actually on the Internet that our phone number and address were the writer’s,” King chuckles, “so for a while there we got some ... interesting stuff.” 

In fact, it was a connection with another famous Mainer that proved to be decisive for her career. Growing up, King’s neighbor was the state’s former senator, Margaret Chase Smith. 

“Being around this my whole life pushed me to look if Sen. [Olympia] Snowe [R-Maine] had any openings,” she says. 

With her boss slated to retire in January, King is looking for a new role. The legislative correspondent certainly has more than her political experience to put on her résumé, including time spent teaching English in South Korea.

But despite having lived all over the map, she hopes to stay in Washington, a place she calls the “perfect medium” between Seoul and Skowhegan. 

Although King enjoys spending free time going out with friends, she’s also dedicated to keeping active. A self-described tomboy as a child, she’s been an athlete her entire life, and is proud to report that her high school has won almost every state championship in field hockey since her first year on varsity. 

She’s also learned to love running and going to the gym, overcoming asthma in the process. Her high energy level and enthusiastic expressions have even earned her a unique nickname: Cricket. 

While she likes playing sports, she has a true New Englander’s fanaticism for watching them, too. 

“When the Bruins won the Stanley Cup, my co-worker and I decided right after we were going to buy tickets to go up for the parade,” she says, “and then ask our boss if we could have the day off.”

— David Kaner

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