Running Against the Devil, by Rick Wilson

Rick Wilson had a highly successful, 30-year career as a Republican strategist, primarily specializing in ad creation and campaign messaging. This book is his attempt to lay out — in tough love style — what it is going to take to defeat Trump in 2020.

Let me say at the outset that this book is not for anyone in the “MAGA”-sphere. You are not going to like Wilson’s take on your candidate and you are not going to appreciate his humor. Even if you are not a Trump fan, this book is not for you if 1) you are not interested in hearing hard truths about what it’s going to take for a Democratic candidate to win in 2020 (I’m looking at you, Bernie Sanders fans) and/or 2) you are offended by profanity.

While Wilson does spend some time in this book discussing how we got here and making jokes at Trump’s expense, the bulk of the book is really a deep-in-the-weeds assessment of the politics at play on the ground. He uses math and polling data to make his case, as well as brutal revelations about what his former side (GOP political consultants) are willing to do to win. This is not a kumbaya narrative, but for anyone serious about defeating Trump at the ballot box, it is an essential one.

Recommended for political junkies/political science nerds (like me!) and for those looking to laugh while learning a lot about political campaigns in the age of Trump.