Kevin Madden is the press secretary for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney. He previously worked on Capitol Hill.
How did you land the job?
I have a very large Rolodex, so the six degrees of separation really had a lot to do with how I got this job. It’s probably best described as I knew someone who knew someone who knew someone.
What’s the biggest difference between the Capitol Hill press contingent and the reporters who cover presidential campaigns?
Sense of humor. With the Capitol Hill press corps, there’s a lot of joke-telling and a lot of everybody breaking chops all around. It’s a lot more of a frat house atmosphere. But with the reporters covering the presidential campaign, it’s all business. It’s more buttoned up.
Is that why you try to include some humor in your daily e-mails to reporters?
Well, with the hours that we all pull on a presidential campaign and the amount of stress that’s involved in this, if you don’t have a sense of humor, it’s tough to get through some of the harder days. For every good story that happens, there’s a crisis that you have to deal with.
How do you keep sane?
I never miss a day of looking at the sports page.
How do you balance work and family life?
Very strict time management. You have to really manage your time. I try to stick to the old adage: I don’t look busy because I did it right the first time.
