New York Times-Bestselling Author: This account of Ronald Reagan's political comebackand rescue of the GOPis "an engrossing, richly detailed saga" (Booklist).
Includes a foreword by Pulitzer Prize winner Jon Meacham
Charting Ronald Reagan's astonishing rise from the ashes of his 1976 presidential bid to overwhelming victory in 1980, Reagan Rising shows how American conservatismand the nation itselfwould never be the same.
In 1976, when Reagan lost his second bid for the GOP presidential nomination (the first was in 1968), most observers believed his political career was over. Yet one year later, at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, Reagan sounded like a new man. He introduced conservatives to a "New Republican Party"one that looked beyond the traditional country club and corporate boardroom base to embrace "the man and woman in the factories . . . the farmer . . . the cop on the beat. Our party," Reagan said, "must be the party of the individual. It must not sell out the individual to cater to the group."
Reagan's movement quickly spread, championed by emerging conservative leaders and influential think tanks. Meanwhile, for the first time in modern history, Reagan also began drawing young people to American conservatism.
At a time when conservatives are seeking to redefine their identity in light of the Donald Trump phenomenon, Reagan Rising offers insight into the development of Reagan's optimistic and unifying philosophy, and offers lessons for both established Republican leaders and emerging hopefuls.
"Chronicles the Republicans' emergence from the wilderness . . . [The author] is a sure-footed and entertaining observer of the hurly-burly of national politics." The New York Times
"An insightful, thoughtful history that reminds us of the renewal that occurred the last time the Republican Party was near collapse. It is the story of the lifeguard Reagan rescuing a drowning party. If only . . . " Landon Parvin, former White House speechwriter for Ronald Reagan