Jeff Hoover: Speaker, Kentucky House.

• Author: Andrade, Jane Carroll
• Position: THE FINAL WORD

Jeff Hoover is the first Republican speaker of the Kentucky House since 1921. Hoover was raised in Jamestown, Kentucky, where his parents owned and operated an FM radio station. After completing a degree in government, he returned home to manage the station before earning his law degree from the Cumberland School of Law at Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama. He launched his own law practice in 1988 and was elected to the House in 1997. He served as minority leader from 2001 until January.

To what do you attribute Republicans' historic success? In Kentucky several things happened that culminated on Nov. 8 last year. We had an outstanding group of candidates. We had 91 Republicans on the ballot out of 100 seats. We raised more money than ever before. We had a strong organization in place. And then, quite honestly, the effect that Donald Trump had in Kentucky was enormous. Voters were looking for someone who was going to do things differently. Not only were people frustrated and angry about the demise of the coal industry and the war on coal from Barack Obama, and then the same thing being echoed by Hillary Clinton, they were looking at the state level, where the same party had controlled the House for 96 years.

What has been being in the minority for 20 years taught you about how you will treat the new minority? I reached out to eight former members of the General Assembly, four Democrats and four Republicans, and asked them to make recommendations on how we can do things better in the House. I told people I sat there for 16 years as the minority leader and complained about the process and complained when there weren't enough minority members on certain committees. And I believe I would be the biggest hypocrite in Kentucky if, after complaining about those things for 16 years, I now allowed them to continue.

What's the most important thing you can teach the new legislators? To be patient. These guys are part of the largest freshman class ever in Kentucky's history--23 Republicans and five Democrats. I tell new members that the most important thing is to get re-elected. Take this first term to learn the process and develop relationships with other legislators, colleagues and staff. Then be in a position to get re-elected and come back and begin working on some of the things that you really want to get done.

What are your priorities this session? Never in the history of Kentucky has a bill passed the first week of session. We came in and...