Drew Hammill

If you want to rise to power in Congress, you’ll need somebody like Drew Hammill.

Hammill, deputy chief of staff to House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi, is the California Democrat’s fiercest on-the-record defender and one of her closest aides. Write, tweet or say something on air about Pelosi — especially if it’s negative — and you’ll be getting a call from Hammill. Count on it.

Hammill runs Pelosi’s 15-person communications operation, and he serves as a top adviser to the likely next speaker on messaging and strategy. Wherever Pelosi is, Hammill and a handful of other trusted senior aides will be found nearby.

“In the dozen years that I’ve had the honor to work for Pelosi, either as speaker or [minority] leader, I’ve been constantly amazed by her ability to analyze and address challenges quickly and effectively, and then move on to what’s next,” Hammill said. “She works harder than anyone in the building, and her energy comes from her desire to get things done.”

Hammill has been a key player in the intra-party fight over whether Pelosi becomes speaker in the next Congress following the House Democratic victory on Election Day. Hammill helped engineer an extensive press campaign to demonstrate Pelosi is ready to win back the gavel she relinquished eight years ago when the last Democratic majority was swept away by the Tea Party movement.

Hammill, 40, is an Illinois native who began working on Capitol Hill in 2003 as a press assistant for former Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.), now the outgoing Chicago mayor. That was followed by a two-and-a-half-year stint as press secretary for former Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-Fla.).

In 2006, Hammill began working for Pelosi’s press operation, shortly before she became the first woman speaker in history. From that vantage point, Hammill has played a role in a number of big legislative battles, including passage of Obamacare — and then fighting to stop it from being repealed — the 2007 and 2009 energy bills, the economic stimulus package, repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and countless others. He’s been there for government shutdowns, debt crises and last-minute budget deals forged with three different presidents.

Yet it’s the day-to-day press grind where Hammill makes his biggest mark. The rise of Donald Trump to the Oval Office has turned Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) into the faces of the Democratic Party. With Trump’s seemingly endless array of tweets, Fox News interviews and impromptu press avails driving daily coverage like no other president in history, Pelosi and Schumer have found themselves forced to respond in kind. That’s required a press operation far beyond that needed by minority leaders in the past. — John Bresnahan

Photos courtesy of Nancy Pelosi’s office.