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Why I Joined Puck

As a staffer to Harry Reid, I witnessed up close the transactional nature of political power—an education that I poured into my second career as a journalist. Now, as chief Washington correspondent for Puck, I’m delving deeper than ever into the (mostly) smokeless back rooms of the Hill, where the second Trump era will come alive.

Majorie Taylor Greene
I’ll reveal the cliques, the moods, and the infighting that makes this place unique. When Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene suddenly shifts her tone toward Johnson, I’ll tell you why. Photo: Kent Nishimura/Getty Images
Leigh Ann Caldwell
January 25, 2025

When I was finishing up college at North Carolina State, I found myself at a crossroads that I thought would determine the rest of my life: I could either move to rural North Carolina and work as a journalist at a local radio station, or shelve those plans and instead go to work for one of the most powerful people in Washington. Worried that I might never be promoted to reporter, I put journalism aside, and joined the staff of Senator Harry Reid, the former boxer turned power broker who represented my home state of Nevada. It was, as it turns out, a fateful decision that ultimately led me to Puck, where I’ll be covering Capitol Hill.