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WASHINGTON -- It's a new day in 5th District Virginia politics. And that's easily seen on a brisk walk with freshman U.S. Rep. Tom Perriello.

Rushing down the Capitol steps one day this month, he's got his cellphone in one hand and his BlackBerry in the other.

Perriello shocked many with his November upset of Virgil Goode, long thought to be a shoo-in for office unless he was somehow wrested out with a crowbar.

Goode, one of Franklin County's favorite sons, built a political career off his homespun demeanor and old-fashioned ways, such as the small desk and tree stump chair in his congressional office that was given to him more than 30 years ago by high school students.

But now that office in the Longworth Building belongs to Perriello, a world traveler at age 34 and a doctor's son whose political career is off to a rising start. Portrayed already as an up-and-comer worth keeping an eye on, he's getting some of the celebrity that comes with being part of Beltway politics.

A Huffington Post poll named him one of the top five "hottest freshmen congressmen."

"There have already been negative ads about me, and it's only February," Perriello said.

He says his experience as a national security adviser in Liberia and work with nonprofits "makes it easier to ignore it, these petty personal things and partisan lies. It helps me stay focused."

The Albemarle County Democrat finds himself in a fairly rare circumstance of taking office and adjusting to life as a congressman as the country's economy recedes closer and closer toward Great Depression proportions.

"You have to hit the ground running here," Perriello said. "There's no time for foolishness or formalities. It's game time."

Mark Rozell, a professor of public policy at George Mason University, said this may be the most difficult time he can think of for a newly elected congressman to take office.

"The issues facing the government are unprecedented, and people are looking for answers from their leaders," he said. "A newly elected member has the same pressure as any other member of congress to 'do something,' but has less stature. ... It takes a long time for a newcomer to build stature and influence in Congress. Under the circumstances, his constituents might not be very patient."

Up and running

Though the walls are bare, the office suite is not. Staff fill cubicles, and visitors constantly fill chairs in the waiting area.

When they arrived at work on their first day in January, computers and e-mail weren't even set up yet, said Perriello's press secretary, Jessica Barba.

"But the calls were coming in," she said. "It was a whirlwind."

Even still, the staff works long hours, and Perriello in his first days has arrived at his office at 7 a.m. and worked until midnight.

In his first week, Perriello was appointed to the House Transportation and Infrastructure and Veterans' Affairs committees. He considered his seat on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee critical in that it would "play a large role in shaping the upcoming economic stimulus package as the nation looks to invest in infrastructure projects that will create jobs now while promoting long-term economic recovery for the future."

Perriello voted for the package, pushed and then signed into law by President Obama.

Each day is different, but as Perriello and his staff continue to get into the swing of things, they do have a schedule. Mondays and Fridays, Perriello spends time in his district. Tuesday through Thursday, he's in his D.C. office for meetings, hearings and votes.

Barba said there have already been times that she has had to run to keep up with Perriello.

Feb. 11 was a typical Wednesday for the new congressman:a morning hearing, meetings through lunch and visits with other lawmakers, this time a quick welcome from Rep. Ben Chandler, D-Ky., complete with a bottle of Kentucky bourbon. After a trip to the House floor for a vote, he met with the Air Force Association, the American Bankers Association and veterans from the district before two receptions in the evening.

Perriello's scheduler, Nicholas Jordan, could be seen interrupting talks with a five-minute warning before ushering in Perriello's next appointment.

There were many more groups and representatives that dropped by but were directed to a legislative aide instead of Perriello.

Perriello laughs at the thought of free time.

"Sleep and exercise are what you sacrifice," he said. "I put 1,000 miles on my truck every weekend, and I still can't get everywhere."

But Perriello tries to squeeze some things into his jampacked schedule, be it lunch with an old friend or some exercise by walking briskly from his building to the House floor, declining to use the underground train.

Lately, Perriello has had the stimulus package on his mind constantly, and most conversations -- no matter the topic -- turned to talk about the economy.

Now that the stimulus package has been signed by Obama, Perriello said he will move on to some of his other priorities, much of them still relating to the economy.

Other than making sure his district gets its fair share of the stimulus pie, job creation is the main focus, he said, for those out of work and veterans coming back from war.

Making education available and affordable is also a mission of Perriello's, and he got one victory through a bill he co-sponsored with Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, to provide more education tax credits.

North to south

Perriello has opened district offices in Charlottesville and Danville, and two others are in the works.

The Franklin County Board of Supervisors, which had long met just a stone's throw away from Goode's former Rocky Mount congressional office, sent a letter to Perriello requesting a district office remain in the county. But it's just one of many requests, Barba said.

To keep all of his constituents connected, Perriello's staff is trying to "get creative" with alternatives to a physical office, Perriello said.

The district Web site is being beefed up to serve as an online office, and Perriello and his staff plan to make frequent visits around the district, Barba said.

"A physical location is really important. Nothing can replace that," she said. "But we're going to try and be accessible through all three."

Community leaders in the district, particularly on the Franklin County end, are still learning if the support and accessibility offered by Goode will continue through Perriello -- the first in years, if ever, to represent the 5th District from a home base on the Charlottesville end.

"Virgil Goode was so involved in local schools," Franklin County Schools Superintendent Charles Lackey said. "He would make sure we at least had an ear of state legislature. We didn't always agree, but he was willing to listen and get into dialogue. We're hoping Perriello will do the same."

Work on the stimulus bill and helping localities get their cut has been Perriello's first test in accessibility, groundwork for how he plans to work with governments in his district.

In the first few weeks of his term, Perriello sent his district director, Ridge Schuyler, to each of the 5th's 22 localities to talk about projects that could benefit from stimulus money.

"How can I help?" Perriello started one of his recent conference calls with Martinsville officials. "The strategy is to get ideas, and then we work for you."

Last week, Perriello held town hall meetings in Southside and visited potential projects around the district, including the whitewater rafting park on the Pigg River in Franklin County.

Though he is from the northern end of the district, Perriello said he is making an effort to get to each of the localities.

Looking ahead

Perriello has traded in his brown work boots worn faithfully throughout the campaign for nicer dress shoes, but maintains his belief in "right and wrong, not right and left."

"I have low tolerance for party politics" he said.

He has already parted with his party with a vote against releasing the second half of federal bailout money, and he is not shy about voicing his disappointment that more money was not included in the stimulus package for infrastructure improvements.

"Establishing a reputation for independence from his own party will probably help him in his district," said Rozell, the George Mason professor. "And I think the electoral success previously of Virgil Goode shows that being independent-minded and not fully wedded to the platform of one party works well with voters in the district.

"If he acts as a party robot for Pelosi and Reid, he loses after one term," Rozell said, referring to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.

Perriello said pressing situations have pushed any thoughts of the next election, now less than two years away, to a back burner.

But Rozell said that the time to prepare for 2010 is now.

Many instances combined to lead to Perriello's success, Rozell said, such as U.S. Sen. Mark Warner's win and the boost in turnout because of the presidential election.

"He won't have these circumstances to carry him in 2010," Rozell said. "In fact, I would consider him one of the most vulnerable incumbents of all in 2010."

Perriello, though, is settling in and starting the key relationships he'll need to carve a niche on Capitol Hill. In Rep. Larry Kissell, D-N.C., Perriello says he's found a friend, and in U.S. Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Abingdon, he's found a mentor.

Boucher's district neighbors Perriello's, and the two split representation of Henry County. Boucher said he speaks to Perriello often about how their partnership can benefit Southwest Virginia as well as passing on his own experiences from more than two dozen years in Congress.

"Tom is terrific," Boucher said. "He's tremendously respected on both sides of the aisle. ... He has made a good impression in his first month."

House leadership has also taken notice of the freshman congressman, and Boucher expects Perriello will be tapped for more leadership roles in the near future.

The expectations he came to Congress with have been challenged in the past six weeks, Perriello said.

"There's a lot more debate then I expected," he said. "In the caucuses, there's more debate. On the floor, it's more theatrical."

The opportunity for involvement has also been more then he expected.

"I didn't know how much chance I'd have to speak up," he said. "I don't always win, but at least we have a seat at the table."