WASHINGTON – The new Congress is brimming with veterans ascending to glittery positions of power and glitzy newcomers demanding the spotlight for themselves.

Following is a look at 10 rising stars to watch – some obvious, some obscure – as the 109th Congress navigates the shoals of war, budget deficits and President Bush’s hopes of revamping Social Security:

. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine: Often overshadowed by her Maine colleague, GOP Sen. Olympia Snowe, Collins grabbed the limelight in a big way in 2004 by helping to shepherd through Congress a bill revamping the nation’s intelligence agencies. Her role in that high-profile area appears likely to continue, since she chairs the Senate’s newly renamed Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. As a moderate and a woman, Collins, 52, also gives her party a chance to expand its appeal.

. Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill.: Entering his ninth year in the Senate, Durbin will be his party’s No. 2 leader there and seems sure to increase his national exposure. As a House member and again in the Senate, he helped party leaders hone the way Democrats address issues and is considered one of his party’s most appealing communicators. The liberal Durbin can frame a political message in concise sound bites that often find their way onto television. Durbin, 60, faces re-election in 2008 – when some Democrats think he could land on the national ticket.

. Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.: Articulate and folksy, the conservative Graham looms as a pivotal player in President Bush’s drive to reshape Social Security. Graham agrees the giant pension system should be buttressed, but disagrees that the government should borrow the potential $2 trillion cost, as the administration has suggested. That puts him in a position to reach out to Democrats, perhaps forming the bridges Bush may need to succeed. A member of the Judiciary Committee, Graham, 49, will also be a player should a Supreme Court vacancy occur.

. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.: In months, he’s vaulted from anonymity to the cover of Newsweek, had a best-selling autobiography and has been dubbed a political superstar by fellow Democrats. All after leapfrogging from the Illinois state Senate to the U.S. Senate. Obama, 43, the only black senator, is the son of a Kenyan father and American mother and has a political charisma that seems to destine him for a high-profile role in his party. In his first week on the job, he declined to play a major role when members of the Congressional Black Caucus used Congress’ ceremonial counting of electoral votes to challenge Election Day voting irregularities in Ohio.

. Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo.: For a primer on winning elections in GOP-leaning states, Democrats need look no further than Salazar’s November victory. Sporting a cowboy hat and boots, Salazar, 49, campaigned on the themes of traditional values and faith – while criticizing Bush on Iraq and tax cuts for the rich. Democrats looking to broaden their party’s appeal find his story alluring: He grew up in a ranch house with no electricity, and he and Sen.-elect Mel Martinez, R-Fla., will be the Senate’s first Hispanics in nearly three decades.

. Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa.: An outspoken social conservative, Santorum is a champion of his party’s right wing, which by itself gives him clout. Already the No. 3 Senate GOP leader at age 46, he could move up a notch with the expected retirement in two years of Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn. Sometimes Santorum’s outspoken ways, such as his 2003 comments comparing homosexuality with adultery and incest, land him in trouble. But he focuses most of his rhetorical fire at Democrats, a role that gets him plenty of national exposure.

. Rep. Eric Cantor, R-Va.: Few lawmakers have seen their careers flourish as quickly as Cantor’s. In only his third House term, the 41-year-old will again be the GOP’s chief deputy whip, which lets him establish relationships with other members and positions him to vault even higher into the leadership. Fellow Republicans say they expect the bright, low-key Cantor’s star to continue rising. The Ways and Means Committee member will be right in the middle of Social Security and tax debates, too.

. Rep. Stephanie Herseth, D-S.D.: Even as South Dakota voters were ousting Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle last November, Herseth was re-elected by seven points. That expanded the victory margin of her special election five months earlier, and made her one of the Democrats’ few bright spots in an otherwise bleak 2004 campaign. Her triumph in one of the most Republican of states makes the former lawyer and college professor a special messenger for her party. Democrats who see her as a star in the making also cite her youth – she’s 34 – and has telegenic good looks.

. Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind.: Pence, 45, will head the Republican Study Committee, the spearhead group for the GOP’s most conservative members. That’s a highly visible post where he will work with – and sometimes clash with – his party’s leadership. Pence’s opposition to spending has led him to vote against a major education increase in 2001 and the 2003 creation of Medicare prescription drug benefits. A lawyer and former radio talk show host, he seldom avoids television exposure, leading some to think he has grander political plans.

. Rep. Tom Reynolds, R-N.Y.: Reynolds’ name comes up in any discussion about what the House leadership may look like should the legal problems swirling around House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, cost him his job. Entering his fourth term, he is seen as a savvy inside player and loyal party operator who is close to House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill. Reynolds, 54, earned further plaudits last fall when he helped engineer his party’s three-seat Election Day pickup as chairman of the House GOP’s campaign committee.