Luke Hughes (SFS’27) is at his desk at 2:30 in the morning. It’s the night of Nevada’s primary election, and Hughes has just wrapped up entering election results into a reporting database. In a few hours, he has to wake up to get to his internship on Capitol Hill.
The days and nights are long, but Hughes is living out his dream: being a Georgetown student in the center of the political arena.
“I can be in DC, go to a Jesuit school, study international politics, I am the happiest kid in the world right now,” he said. “In DC, you have all these Fortune 500 companies. You have the best hospitals in the nation. Obviously, it’s the best city for politics. Combined with the youth life here with a lot to do, it’s the best place to spend a summer.”
Hughes loves DC so much that he decided to remain in DC this summer interning at the Office of the Sergeant at Arms of the U.S. House of Representatives, all while working part-time with Decision Desk HQ (DDHQ) based at Georgetown for the 2024 election.
On the Frontlines of Election Reporting
Hughes was scrolling on LinkedIn this past spring when he saw an opportunity: DDHQ had chosen the McCourt School of Public Policy to be its 2024 election hub. A leading provider of real-time election results, DDHQ was also looking for students to report election results along with DDHQ analysts based in downtown DC at Georgetown’s Capitol Campus.
“I love looking at data, analyzing data, making it easier for people to look at. I love politics. So, boom, I can combine the two,” he said. “It says a lot about Georgetown that [DDHQ] wanted to choose Georgetown students. They chose the McCourt School for a reason, so I’m very grateful for that.”
Since starting in April, Hughes has worked six election nights in six-hour shifts. His job as an intern is to acquire election results as quickly as possible. After the polls close the night of an election, Hughes is calling county clerks and refreshing county clerk websites every half hour, poring through often clunky documents and databases for election results to enter into DDHQ’s systems.
While Hughes has reported results for presidential primaries, he’s covered mostly down-ballot races for state representatives or senators. Hughes explained how his internship has required him to be meticulous in his work, as one extra number in a database could falsely skew an election report.
His internship has also given him a newfound appreciation for local government.
“I’ve gained an appreciation for those staffers, the people that I’m calling, people who are entering the data, because I know they’re underfunded,” he said. “It makes me want to figure out ways to use technology to help those elections go smoother.”
Developing People Skills With the House Sergeant-at-Arms
While Hughes has only spent a few late nights reporting election results, most of his summer has been spent welcoming dignitaries and organizing special events in Congress as an intern for the sergeant-at-arms at the House of Representatives.
The sergeant-at-arms — perhaps best known for introducing the president at the State of the Union — is the House’s chief protocol and law enforcement officer. He and his office provide intelligence, policing, parking, events and other miscellaneous services for the 435 representatives and their congressional staffs.
Hughes got a taste for working on Capitol Hill two years ago when he interned for a representative. He loved working in Congress but wanted to find a nonpartisan internship this summer. An internship with the House sergeant-at-arms was a great fit.
“We’re just here to help the members. We’re here to help the staff. You don’t pick sides, you just help whoever needs help,” he said. “On Capitol Hill, I get an adrenaline rush. I am a huge congressional nerd. I’ve memorized every member of Congress, their names, faces, states, districts. Every single time I see the Capitol, it never gets old.”
As an intern in the Protocol and Special Events Division, he provides support for events happening around the U.S. Capitol. During the concert at the Capitol on July 4, Hughes and his team managed guest passes, which congressional staffers could enter the Capitol during the concert and what parts of the building guests had access to.
When foreign dignitaries travel to Congress to meet with House leadership, Hughes’ office manages the logistics. On these visits, Hughes is constantly on the move, directing delegations to meetings, showing dignitaries where the restrooms are and thinking on his feet to solve problems as they arise.
At July’s NATO Summit, Hughes welcomed scores of foreign officials, from an Australian legislator to the Greek deputy foreign minister and even the Dutch prime minister — all in one day.
“That was super cool. I just got to chat with the prime minister of the Netherlands about how his day is going,” Hughes said. “As a 19-year-old intern who’s just here for the summer, I’m very, very grateful that I got to do all of that.”
Hughes said his congressional internship has given him valuable people skills while teaching him to think quickly on his feet and be even more efficient with his time.
“How can you get stuff done in a meaningful manner? How do you learn how to help people who may not be responsive toward your help? How do you go the extra mile?” he said. “You learn how to be a good assistant to someone. You learn how to cater to someone’s needs. It’s good people skills.”
