When Katherine Amy Doyle, a White House reporter for NBC News, was contacted by the office of Representative Elise Stefanik in November 2023, she wasn’t expecting to find love.
She received a call from Alex Francis deGrasse, a political strategist and a longtime senior adviser and executive director for Ms. Stefanik, a Republican from New York. The pair spoke briefly and kept things professional. Ms. Doyle was working on a high-stakes story, and Mr. deGrasse had called to check in, on behalf of his team.
Mr. deGrasse, 32, recalls feeling intrigued after their conversation — so much so that he asked their mutual friend to invite her to a group dinner a month later.
“I was honestly surprised to get the call,” Ms. Doyle, 35, said about the invitation.
Mr. deGrasse complimented her smile when they first met in person and wanted to get to know her, but for the next few weeks, the two only hung out in group settings.
After some failed attempts at asking Ms. Doyle, who was initially noncommittal, out on a date, they had a late dinner at RPM Italian on Jan. 19 in downtown Washington. Despite Mr. Degrasse’s nerves, he was determined to make this a good experience for them. He left the date fascinated by her and felt confident that something was brewing.
“It seemed very serious to me off the bat,” said Mr. deGrasse, who asked Ms. Doyle on a second date before the first one ended.
Ms. Doyle, who grew up in London and holds a bachelor’s degree in politics and French from the University of Leeds, was taken off Ms. Stefanik coverage after notifying her editors that she was dating a member of her staff.
They defined their relationship in mid-February 2024, when Ms. Doyle realized she had never felt such a deep connection before, and was ready to explore where things could go.
Mr. deGrasse, who holds a bachelor’s degree in classics and political science from Union College, wooed Ms. Doyle by sharing his niche interests with her. He showcased his knowledge of Ancient Greek and Roman history during one of their earlier dates to the Dumbarton Oaks museum in Georgetown. There they browsed through relics from the Byzantine Empire and marveled at displays with ancient coins and tapestries. For Ms. Doyle, learning new sides of Mr. deGrasse every time they saw each other drew her closer to him.
