Knowledge Bank

In his oral history interview, Mike McCurry reflects on his childhood in Northern California, education at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (formerly the Woodrow Wilson School), and early career as press secretary for Senators Harrison Williams (New Jersey) and Daniel Patrick Moynihan (New York). He describes his involvement with John Glenn’s 1984 presidential campaign including Glenn’s surprising, yet visionary, answers to press questions, campaign trail experiences and challenges, and the transition back to Senate duties after the campaign ended.

The interview also examines McCurry’s broader career trajectory, including communications roles with the campaigns of Bruce Babbitt, Lloyd Bentsen, Bob Kerrey, and John Kerry. He discusses his work as communications director for the Democratic National Committee, his tenure as spokesman for the U.S. Department of State, and his appointment as White House Press Secretary to President Bill Clinton. McCurry reflects on the distinctive challenges of each position, from the substantive demands of foreign policy communications to the political pressures of the White House during Clinton’s presidency, including the misconduct investigation. McCurry describes his later service on the Commission on Presidential Debates and his second career teaching public theology. Throughout, he emphasizes the influence of his experiences with Glenn and the lessons they carried forward into public life.