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While in his twenties, Adam was twice elected, the second time without opposition, to the Pass Christian City Council. In 1920 and 1924, he was elected to the Harrison County Commission. He was elected lieutenant governor in 1927, at the age of thirty-three, and served one four-year term. The office had been vacant for nine months when Adam filled it because Dennis Herron Murphree (1886-1949) of Calhoun County had succeeded to the governorship in March 1927, upon the death of Governor Henry Lewis Whitfield (1868-1927).<ref name=histharr>John H. Lang, ''History of Harrison County, Mississippi'' Dixie Press, 1935, p. 135.</ref>​

While in his twenties, Adam was twice elected, the second time without opposition, to the Pass Christian City Council. In 1920 and 1924, he was elected to the Harrison County Commission. He was elected lieutenant governor in 1927, at the age of thirty-three, and served one four-year term. The office had been vacant for nine months when Adam filled it because Dennis Herron Murphree (1886-1949) of Calhoun County had succeeded to the governorship in March 1927, upon the death of Governor Henry Lewis Whitfield (1868-1927).<ref name=histharr>John H. Lang, ''History of Harrison County, Mississippi'' Dixie Press, 1935, p. 135.</ref>​

During the 1963 gubernatorial race in Mississippi, Adam was the state Democratic chairman and hence a leading campaigner for his party nominees, Paul Burney Johnson, Jr.] (1916-1985), for governor and Carroll Gartin (1913-1966)  for lieutenant governor. Though he lost his oldest son in the height of the election season, Adam seemed to become more enthusiastic when he campaigned for others than for himself. Johnson and Gartin faced the Republican challengers, respectively, [[Rubel Phillips]] of Corinth]] and Jackson, Mississippi, and [[Stanford Morse]], Adam's fellow attorney in Gulfport. Phillips and Morse, both former Democratic elected officials, were the first to run for governor and lieutenant governor as Republicans in Mississippi since 1947, when George Lawson Sheldon (1870-1960) polled only 2.5 percent of the vote. Phillips was seeking to succeed Ross Robert Barnett (1898-1987), who joined Adam in speaking on behalf of Johnson and Gartin, whom Barnett had defeated in the 1959 Democratic gubernatorial primary. Morse hoped to succeed Paul Johnson, who was the departing lieutenant governor.<ref>Billy Hathorn, "Challenging the Status Quo: Rubel Lex Phillips and the Mississippi Republican Party (1963-1967)," ''The Journal of Mississippi History'' XLVII, November 1985, No. 4, p. 242-243.</ref>​

During the 1963 gubernatorial race in Mississippi, Adam was the state Democratic chairman and hence a leading campaigner for his party nominees, Paul Burney Johnson, Jr.] (1916-1985), for governor and Carroll Gartin (1913-1966)  for lieutenant governor. Though he lost his oldest son in the height of the election season, Adam seemed to become more enthusiastic when he campaigned for others than for himself. Johnson and Gartin faced the Republican challengers, respectively, [[Rubel Phillips]] of Corinth and Jackson, Mississippi, and [[Stanford Morse]], Adam's fellow attorney in Gulfport. Phillips and Morse, both former Democratic elected officials, were the first to run for governor and lieutenant governor as Republicans in Mississippi since 1947, when George Lawson Sheldon (1870-1960) polled only 2.5 percent of the vote. Phillips was seeking to succeed Ross Robert Barnett (1898-1987), who joined Adam in speaking on behalf of Johnson and Gartin, whom Barnett had defeated in the 1959 Democratic gubernatorial primary. Morse hoped to succeed Paul Johnson, who was the departing lieutenant governor.<ref>Billy Hathorn, "Challenging the Status Quo: Rubel Lex Phillips and the Mississippi Republican Party (1963-1967)," ''The Journal of Mississippi History'' XLVII, November 1985, No. 4, p. 242-243.</ref>​

Adam worked closely with Johnson in the campaign. He produced a letter written in October 1962 in which Phillips requested Adam's help in a potential 1963 Democratic primary campaign for governor. Johnson and Adam questioned Phillips' [[conservative]] loyalty; they noted that Phillips as the county clerk in Alcorn County from 1952 to 1956 had supervised the registration of more [[African-American]] voters than had been customarily undertaken in most other Mississippi counties at the time. They stressed Phillips' support in 1956 for Democratic presidential nominee [[Adlai Stevenson]] of [[Illinois]], whom Adam and Johnson had also endorsed in the second race against [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]. Phillips in a memorandum had called Stevenson "the only hope for the South."<ref>"Challenging the Status Quo," pp. 243-244.</ref>​

Adam worked closely with Johnson in the campaign. He produced a letter written in October 1962 in which Phillips requested Adam's help in a potential 1963 Democratic primary campaign for governor. Johnson and Adam questioned Phillips' [[conservative]] loyalty; they noted that Phillips as the county clerk in Alcorn County from 1952 to 1956 had supervised the registration of more [[African-American]] voters than had been customarily undertaken in most other Mississippi counties at the time. They stressed Phillips' support in 1956 for Democratic presidential nominee [[Adlai Stevenson]] of [[Illinois]], whom Adam and Johnson had also endorsed in the second race against [[Dwight D. Eisenhower]]. Phillips in a memorandum had called Stevenson "the only hope for the South."<ref>"Challenging the Status Quo," pp. 243-244.</ref>​