Name: Brandon Howell
Hometown: Eastman, Ga.
Position: Speechwriter for Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga.
Age: 27
Alma Mater: University of Georgia
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Washington Examiner: Describe what you do and your responsibilities.
Howell: I’m responsible for drafting, editing, and working with the senator on our floor speeches, op-eds, long-form content on a platform like Medium, speeches to major conferences like [Conservative Political Action Conference]. This year, he spoke at the [National Rifle Association’s] annual meeting, Faith and Freedom’s Road to Majority conference, things like that.
Washington Examiner: What’s the focus of the press office and Sen. Perdue?
Howell: We’re focused on tax reform, changing the tax code. With his business background, he feels that that is something that’s very important to get done this year. One of his go-to lines on that, which he feels very strongly about, is that we have to get it done this year to see the results of it next year. So, he’s working with colleagues and the White House on driving consensus on that. He’s also working on immigration. He and Sen. Cotton have the RAISE Act that they rolled out with President Trump’s support in early August, and as we move into a [Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Act] fix, the [Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment Act] … is something that he’s very adamant about having included in any potential fix. Those are two immediate priorities. Another big issue of his is the budget process itself. It’s worked four times in 43 years, and that’s something that he’s really taken on a behind-the-scenes role in trying to change that since coming to the Senate, so those, I would say, are the three big areas.
Washington Examiner: How did you end up on Capitol Hill and Sen. Perdue’s office?
Howell: I started out in 2012 after I got hired by a communications firm that did conservative blogger engagement, we did digital communications for various campaigns, PACs, trade associations. I was there for two-and-a-half years. I also, during that time, volunteered and helped out with the Perdue campaign whenever I could starting with his announcement in 2013 that he was going to run for Senate, and going all the way through the election. In the meantime, though, with work, I wound up going to work for Carly Fiorina in Feb. 2015, staying on there throughout her campaign as social media and war room director. After that campaign ended, I was approached by Sen. Perdue’s team about interviewing for a speechwriter role that they wanted to create in the office, and I got the job and I have been here every since March 2016.
Washington Examiner: What’s the biggest challenge of being a speechwriter?
Howell: The biggest challenge, and also one of the things that makes it the most fun, is the fact that every single day is essentially finals week in that you get to write about a lot of different issue areas, which requires you to familiarize yourself with a lot of different issues rather than having a specific focus. There’s that component of having all the facts there, knowing the issue, being able to write about the issue on a moment’s notice if he decides he wants to speak on the floor about something and to help him with that.
Of course, finding the voice because you’re writing for somebody else. … It’s challenging being that throughout the campaign like going to rallies and things, I was familiar with his voice before I started. So, that kind of gave me a leg up, but it’s certainly — he’s a former Fortune 500 CEO. He has a very unique voice, not at all like a traditional politician’s voice, I would say. So, it’s a challenge, but it’s a fun challenge.
Washington Examiner: How much of an adjustment was it going from doing digital and social for Carly Fiorina, doing things in 140 characters, to doing long-form speechwriting?
Howell: The intensity level is the same, but the challenges with said intensity are the same — whereas during the campaign and doing digital messaging, it’s very rapid, very fast-paced because you’re working an election day like a final goal, and you’re doing it on a very different platform than a 15-minute speech where there’s more time to be methodical, but there’s also a lot more I’s to dot, more T’s to cross in a different way.
Washington Examiner: What do you do in your spare time?
Howell: I spend time with my wife, Rebecca. We’ve been married for almost two-and-a-half years. Watch a lot of sports, especially. I also try to cook food and smoke meats.
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article has been updated with the correct spelling of Howell’s hometown.
