Congressional Spotlight Interview with Dominica Bernstein

Every two weeks, Leadership Connect sits down with a different Capitol Hill staffer to learn about the person behind the policy work. These conversations explore how staffers built their careers, the policy areas they care about, and the lessons they’ve learned navigating one of the most unique work environments in the country. This time, we spoke to Dominica Bernstein, press assistant for the Office of Representative Rich McCormick.

Can you walk us through your career path and what led you to your current role as Press Assistant?

My journey into politics really started in 2021, right after the COVID-19 pandemic. I had moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, and was attending a small university during a time when our country, and especially my generation, felt incredibly divided.

What shocked me was how difficult it had become for people to simply disagree with one another. There were so many strong opinions, but not always a lot of room for discussion or understanding. I remember looking around and thinking that if we are the generation that is eventually going to lead this country, we have to learn how to talk to each other again.

That realization is what ultimately pulled me into politics.

I got involved with our state party and eventually had the opportunity to spend a year and a half working as a press secretary for 11 members of the Minnesota House. I absolutely fell in love with the work. Every day was different. I was learning about agriculture one day, public safety the next, and an issue affecting a rural community I had never heard of the day after that.

More than anything, I got to know the people behind those issues. That experience taught me something I still carry with me every day: politics can feel very big from the outside, but at its core, public service is incredibly personal. Everyday policies affect somebody’s family, somebody’s health, somebody’s small business, or somebody’s future.

Last fall, I visited Washington, DC for the first time, and something just clicked. I loved the energy. I loved being surrounded by people who cared deeply about what they were doing. Whether you agreed with everyone or not, there was an undeniable sense of purpose here. I remember leaving and knowing that this is where I wanted to build my career.

So, I made it my goal. I started networking, reaching out to anyone who would offer me insight, and taking every interview opportunity that came my way. There were definitely days when moving across the country felt intimidating, but I knew I would regret it if I didn’t try.

In July, I was incredibly fortunate to join Congressman Rich McCormick’s office as Press Assistant. I’m surrounded by people who challenge me, educate me, and make me better at what I do every day. I still have so much to learn, and I think that’s actually my favorite part. I don’t know exactly where this career will take me, but I know I’m grateful to be here, I’m hungry to keep growing, and I’m really excited to find out.

As a Press Assistant, you’re often one of the first points of contact for media inquiries. What has been the most rewarding aspect of helping communicate your office’s priorities and initiatives?

I think the most rewarding part has been realizing that the lessons I learned in Minnesota translate almost anywhere when you lead with people first. Working for 11 different House members meant serving 11 very different districts.

I saw communities facing completely different challenges, and it taught me early on that you cannot walk into a community assuming you already know what matters to the people who live there. You have to listen first. Georgia is obviously very different from Minnesota, and I would never pretend otherwise. But people are people. They care about their families. They care about whether their communities are safe, whether there are opportunities for their kids, whether they can build a good life, and whether the people representing them are actually listening.

That’s why getting to spend time in Georgia’s 7th District has been so formative for me. Every time I visit, I understand a little more about the people I’m communicating for, and the community our office has the privilege of serving.

It’s easy in communications to get caught up in numbers — how many impressions a post got, how much coverage a bill received, whether a story was picked up. Those things matter, but I never want to forget that there is a real person on the other side of everything we put out.

If our communications can make someone feel informed, heard, or a little more connected to the people representing them, I think we’re doing something worthwhile.

Working in congressional communications requires balancing accuracy, timeliness, and strategic messaging. How do you approach that balance in your day-to-day responsibilities?

My secret weapon is pretty old-school: a physical to-do list.

I love writing everything down and crossing items off throughout the day. There is something very satisfying about it, but more importantly, it keeps me grounded when the day inevitably changes. And on Capitol Hill, the day always changes.

You can walk into the office with ten things planned, and one breaking news story can completely rearrange all ten. A list helps me respond to what is urgent without losing sight of everything else I’m responsible for. I also love the analytical side of communications. I probably look at our numbers more than I should. I like understanding what people are responding to, what they’re scrolling past, what makes them stop, and why. Sometimes the thing you’re convinced will perform well doesn’t, and the thing you almost didn’t post connects with thousands of people. I find that very fascinating. But I also don’t think you can communicate effectively by staring at analytics all day.

Some of the best ideas come from simply talking with the people around you. I’m really lucky to work on a team where we can bounce ideas off each other, challenge each other, laugh when something doesn’t work, and then try again. At the end of the day, I try to remember that being first is never more important than being accurate, and being strategic should never mean losing the human element of what you’re trying to say.

Behind every press release, media statement, or interview is a great deal of preparation. Can you take us behind the scenes and share what goes into supporting your office’s communications efforts?  

Studying! I learned pretty quickly that I didn’t get to leave the textbooks behind in college. In all seriousness, I think one of the biggest things that has improved my writing is simply becoming more curious. I don’t want to write about something just because it was assigned to me. I want to really understand it. Why does this matter? Who does it affect? What’s the argument on the other side?

How would I explain this to someone who doesn’t spend their day thinking about politics? When you understand something deeply, writing about it becomes so much more natural. I really believe education is currency.

Nobody ever reaches a point where they know everything, especially in a place like Washington. There is always somebody who knows more than you, and instead of finding that intimidating, I’ve learned to see it as an incredible opportunity. Ask questions. Take the professional development course. Read the article. Learn the policy area you don’t understand. Every little bit of knowledge eventually comes back around.

I also think people underestimate how collaborative communication really is. The best teams are the ones where people aren’t afraid to say, “I don’t know,” or “I think we can make this better.” I’m incredibly grateful to work with people I can learn from and be honest with. When you trust the people around you, you become much more willing to take creative risks, and that is usually where the best ideas come from.

What has working on Capitol Hill taught you about the importance of effective communication, and how has that experience shaped your professional growth?  

Working on Capitol Hill has probably broadened my perspective more than anything else I’ve done professionally.  

Moving from a state legislature to the national stage was intimidating. Suddenly the audience is bigger, the news moves faster, and the issues can affect millions of people. There were, and still are, plenty of moments when I walk into a room and realize just how much I have left to learn. 

I’ve learned to really appreciate those moments. 

Being here has taught me that growth usually happens when you’re a little uncomfortable. You have to be willing to introduce yourself to someone you don’t know, admit when you don’t understand something, and walk into rooms where you may not feel completely ready yet. 

At the same time, I never want Washington to make me lose the people-first mentality that brought me into this profession. It’s very easy here to start seeing everything as a headline, a viral post, or a potential press hit. But somewhere outside of Washington, that policy is affecting real people who probably aren’t thinking about any of those things. They’re thinking about their family, their job, their future, and their community. 

Keeping that perspective is what keeps me grounded. 

And for any young person who is thinking about coming to Capitol Hill, I would say: just go for it. 

Network with everyone! Send the email even if you’re nervous. Apply for the position you aren’t completely sure you’re qualified for. Be curious. Work hard. Be kind to people. And don’t be afraid of the unknown. 

I certainly didn’t have a perfect roadmap that led me from a small university in Minnesota to Capitol Hill. I just kept saying yes to opportunities that at first scared me a little, kept trying to learn from the people around me, and kept moving toward work that felt meaningful. 

I’m still figuring out where that road leads, and I think that’s part of what makes this new season so exciting.

Word association — what is the first word that comes to mind for each of these? 

Media: Photography 

Communications: Connection 

Capitol Hill: Passion 

Storytelling: Humanity 

Leadership Connect: Community