Gloria Borger, Michael Crowley, Mike Allen

Despite election distractions, TIME‘s “40 Under 40″ party brought out a surprisingly charming and interesting crowd last night.  Nearly half of the mag’s 40 featured rising stars and roughly 200 attendees joined TIME Managing Editor Richard Stengel for sushi, cocktails and conversation at Zentan restaurant in the hip Donovan House hotel.

Representing the White House were Jen Psaki, Reggie Love, Dan Pfeiffer and Macon Phillips who mingled with guests like CNN’s Gloria Borger, Yahoo’s Michael Calderone, MTP EP Betsy Fischer, Michael Steel, Politico‘s Mike Allen, Roll Call’s Jackie Kucinich, Brad Dayspring, Taylor Griffin, TIME‘s Jay Newton-Small, Bloomberg’s Julianna Goldman, Sarah Feinberg and Kevin Madden.  Also spotted was a gimpy Tammy Haddad on crutches.  When asked about her injury, Haddad joked, “my husband was chasing me around the house.”

In addition to an impressive list, the event offered an open bar with three specialty drinks like the popular ”Iced Tea Party” and the “Blue State Fizz” that helped lubricate party tensions while guests chattered about the upcoming midterm elections.

Honorees (idenitified by nifty “40 Under 40″ lapel pins) in attendance included:  Brendan Steinhauser, Jeremy Bash, Nathan Daschle, Jared Polis, Ben Rhodes, Cedric Richmond, Jay Webber, Carte Goodwin, Ellie Hill, Benjamin Jealous, Adam Kinzinger, Rachel Kleinfeld, Jennifer O’Malley Dillon, Stephanie Schriock.

Richard Stengel on stage.

All photographs by:  Julie Fischer McCarter for TIME  

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“Young & the Guest List,” Washington Life‘s annual roundup of roughly 200 (more this year) of the metro area’s top innovators under the age of 40 just hit newsstands. This year’s list includes 152 men, 112 women, 2 diplomats 35 CEOs and 44 folks from the White House and Cap Hill. WL tells us that there were 78 new editions this year and a quick read proves that DC media types were well-represented.

Just a few of the media types to make the cut include CNN’s Jessica Yellin, WaPo’s Dan Zak, ABC7′s Kris Van Cleave, Cynee Simpson and Scott Thuman, C-SPAN’s Greta Brawner, Fox News’ Bret Baier and wife Amy, AP’s Desmond Butler, MTP’s Betsy Fischer Roll Call’s Jackie Kucinich, ABC’s Emily Lenzner, NBC’s Luke Russert, Daily Caller’s Becca Glover, Ross Douthat, UrbanDaddy’s Jeff Dufour and wifey, Jayne Sandman Dufour. Representing White House media types are Dep. Comm Director Jen Psaki, Comm Director Dan Pfeiffer and Dir. of New Media Macon Phillips.

In addition, three generations of FishbowlDC appear on this year’s list – Washingtonian’s Garrett Graff, Politico’s Patrick Gavin and me, Matt Dornic.

For the full list, pick up a copy at Whole Foods, newsstands and book stores around the city. For more on the YGL, check out Washington Life‘s website here and a behind-the-scenes video from the YGL fashion shoot below.

WL Fashion TV: Behind the Scenes at The Young & The Guest List Fashion Shoot from Washington Life Magazine on Vimeo.

Capitol File has been silent on the party circuit since their big WHCA fete but they’re back for the holidays. The mag will be throwing a launch party for its new Holiday issue featuring cover star and local girl (Chevy Chase born and bred) Hillary Rhoda.

The new issue bears Sarah Schaffer‘s full editorial stamp, with contributions from FishbowlDC – Christine Delargy profiles Macon Phillips and a Q&A with WH Dep. Press Secretary Jen Psaki and former McCain campaign adviser Taylor Griffin in my column “Life of the Party.”

Folks such as Jack and Susanna Quinn, CNN’s Ed Henry and Edie Emery, Ali Wentworth and George Stephanopoulos, Ted Leonsis, Nancy Brinker, Peter Fenn and Heather Podesta have been invited to join Rhoda and her mom Marianne and an intimate guest list of roughly 150 people at new restaurant/gastropub Againn.

The White House debuted this video earlier today to respond to a Drudge posting that claimed to show President Obama explaining how his health care reform plans eventually would eliminate private insurance, the AP reports.

“Facts Are Stubborn Things” was created by the White House’s new media office, headed up by Macon Phillips. It runs about three minutes and features Linda Douglass, now the White House Office of Health Reform’s communications director, but who was also a network news correspondent.

Douglas says the site is “taking sentences and phrases out of context, and they’re cobbling them together to leave a very false impression.”