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Photo: Sarah Karnasiewicz

REP. STENY HOYER, House majority leader: An egg-and-bacon sandwich with hot tea.

MIKE HUCKABEE, former governor of Arkansas, former 2008 U.S. presidential candidate: Eggs, meat, and sometimes yogurt.

DAVID IGNATIUS, associate editor and columnist, Washington Post: "At home, I'm a cereal junkie. Same thing every morning: a mix of Great Grains, Fiber One, and Special K with skim milk and strawberries. Healthiest meal I eat all day. When I'm traveling, I indulge in bacon with scrambled eggs and toast. Election season doesn't change the menu; just adds indigestion."

HOWARD KURTZ, columnist, Washington Post: "All I can manage is a bowl of Frosted Flakes at my computer."

JIM LEHRER, PBS anchor, NewsHour with Jim Lehrer: A chocolate granola bar and black coffee. Sometimes, an open-face cheese sandwich.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL, Senate minority leader: Cantaloupe and cereal with blueberries, strawberries, or peaches and a glass of orange juice.

DANA MILBANK, columnist, Washington Post: "I make myself a big latte on my espresso machine, then make some oatmeal or Egg Beaters in the microwave. On weekends, I like to take my four-year-old to Chevy Chase Diner."

GERRY MULLANY, political writer, New York Times: "I wake up every morning at six and, like the born-and-bred New Yorker that I am, go out to get my coffee and paper. I have some fruit before heading in to work. Once a week I treat myself to a bialy with cream cheese."

JOHN NICHOLS, political writer, The Nation: "Wherever I wake up on the campaign trail, I look for a local independent coffee shop. I prefer wood floors, regional newspapers, and conversations about the Constitution. (I've found that everyone in America has an amendment to propose.) In my hometown of Madison, Wisconsin, I start at Ancora Coffee Roasters, on King Street. I know some people get all excited about eggs and bacon, croissants, and fresh fruit, but I'm not so inclined. I love my mocha, a chair near the window, and discussing an amendment that might yet perfect our young republic."

DR. RON PAUL, congressman, former 2008 U.S. presidential candidate: Coffee and fresh fruit.

NANCY PELOSI, Speaker of the House of Representatives: Chocolate ice cream, but a chocolate doughnut will do in a pinch.

DANA PERINO, White House press secretary: "I wake up at 4:15 a.m. and hop out of bed so as not to wake my husband. A little later, he brings me English breakfast tea with honey. I arrive at the White House by 6:15 a.m. After a meeting with the national security advisor, I finally have a chance to eat—usually raisin bran or a whole-wheat English muffin. Then I have a large green tea before the rest of the day gets going."

BILL PRESS, progressive talk show host, The Bill Press Show: "I'm up at 3:45 and on the radio from 6:00 to 9:00 a.m. Then I'm off to the Eastern Market, the only place in Washington to get breakfast. Real men start the day with a 'Brick' [a homemade biscuit stuffed with meat, cheese, eggs, and fried potatoes] at the Eastern Market."

DANA PRIEST, columnist, the Washington Post: "I get up early with a cup of coffee with milk. From there it's a small bowl of Kashi or other granola, which my kids call 'cardboard cereal', with yogurt and fresh fruit—hopefully a crisp apple or plump blueberries."

DAN RATHER, anchor and managing editor of Dan Rather Reports, former CBS anchor: Oatmeal with blueberries and 1 percent milk, one slice of dry whole-wheat toast, and a glass of milk or tomato juice.

COKIE ROBERTS, senior news analyst, NPR: "I'm one of those bad people parents warn you about—I don't eat breakfast. Since my day sometimes starts as early as 4:30 or 5:00 a.m., I'm starving by 11:30. At that point, if I'm at home, I run to the refrigerator and eat anything I can find. If I'm at the office, I start begging people to go to an early lunch with me."

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN anchor, American Morning: "I do breakfast in two phases: my 3:00 a.m. breakfast and my post-show chow-down. Most mornings I start with a bowl of healthful cereal. Occasionally, I'll treat myself to an everything bagel with scallion cream cheese; that and a few cups of coffee get me through the show. After nine, I head up to the CNN cafeteria for one of Sonja's fabulous omelettes: ham, jalapeños, a bit of bacon, broccoli, and cheddar. Top that off with some hash browns, and I'm ready for the day."

Bob Schieffer, CBS Anchor, Face the Nation: "I get up every morning at 5:30, and while the coffee's brewing I get the newspapers and look at the headlines. When the coffee's ready, I eat breakfast, which is cold cereal in the summer and oatmeal in the winter. I read the New York Times and the Washington Post at home. At the office, I read USA Today and the Wall Street Journal, start returning and making phone calls, and try to act like a reporter."

ANDREW SULLIVAN, political writer, The Atlantic Monthly: "A large coffee and ginger snaps. Terrible, I know."