Episode 1009: Glory, Grief, and the Gavel The Most Dramatic Speaker's Race in a Century

In January 2023, Kevin McCarthy endured five grueling days and 15 rounds of balloting to win the Speaker's gavel — the most dramatic Speaker's race in a century. John Leganski was at the center of it all. As McCarthy's Deputy Chief of Staff and the youngest floor director in House history, he watched up close as a small band of "Never Kevins" brought the People's House to a standstill. Now he's written the definitive inside account: Glory, Grief, and the Gavel. Leganski joins Newt — himself a former Speaker — for a candid conversation about the "Maybe Kevins" versus the "Never Kevins," the last-minute phone call where President Trump unleashed a private tirade, the emotional moment the gavel was finally won, and how the very coalition that delivered the speakership ultimately destroyed it nine months later.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.