inside the office of Rep. Gregg Harper (R-Miss.): Adam Buckalew

Adam Buckalew

Title: Communications director/legislative assistant

Age: 25

{mosads}Hometown: Gulfport, Miss.

Education: The University of Southern Mississippi, bachelor of arts in mass communication and journalism

Last job: Special assistant for Mississippi Lt. Gov. Phil Bryant

Most memorable communications disaster: Let’s just say I learned the hard way that some reporters on Capitol Hill don’t have a sense of humor.

Best communications advice you’ve received: A Mississippi political communications guru, Quinton Dickerson, taught me that there is no such thing as “off the record.”

Legislative specialty: Healthcare and finance, but primarily healthcare. I have always been fascinated by America’s ever-evolving healthcare system. Whether it is engaging in the ongoing Medicaid funding battle in Mississippi or seeking ways to improve patient access in the rural areas of Mississippi’s 3rd congressional district, I am eager to learn how Rep. Harper can lend a hand on the federal level.

Favorite bill or law: H.R. 1079, “Congratulating the National Football League Champion New Orleans Saints for winning Super Bowl XLIV and for bringing New Orleans its first Lombardi Trophy in franchise history.”

Most embarrassing moment on Capitol Hill: On the evening of President Obama’s first State of the Union address, I took the wrong elevator in the Capitol and ended up directly next to the room where the Cabinet, the Supreme Court and the president were stationed prior to their procession onto the House floor. So I did what every other [congressional] staffer would do: pulled out my BlackBerry and acted important. On the flipside, this awkward moment doubled as a rare opportunity to see the president and his top advisers in one location.

Interests outside of work:  Watching sports, observing tourists and blaring Woodie Guthrie songs to remind everyone that “this land is your land, this land is my land, this land was made for you and me.”

After a summer internship in former Sen. Trent Lott’s (R-Miss.) office, Adam Buckalew, known as “Buck,” knew exactly what he wanted to do following his college graduation: “End up back in Washington.”
But his plan to pack up his car and head to D.C. took a detour after a gutsy chance encounter with the then-candidate for Mississippi lieutenant governor, Phil Bryant. Buckalew spotted Bryant at the salad bar in his college’s cafeteria and decided to introduce himself.

“I just walked up next to him and grabbed a plate and said, ‘Mind if I sit down with you?’ ” Buckalew recalled. 

They chatted, and afterward, Buckalew sent Bryant a handwritten letter wishing him luck and asking about campaign jobs. About a week later, he started working on Bryant’s election. His candidate won, and Buckalew soon found himself working in the Mississippi Capitol. 

There he met one of Harper’s future staffers, and that connection helped him get back to Washington — albeit via a more circuitous route than he’d originally planned.

{mosads}He’s glad to be back.

“There’s no other job I would rather have,” he said. “I’m doing exactly what I want to do.”

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