McKinley, a Civil War hero, embarks on a 30-year journey that would one-day land him in the White House. The Triumph of William McKinley goes into the great history of the United States post-Civil War era. Rove “brings to life the drama of an electoral contest whose outcome seemed uncertain to the candidate and his handlers until the end” (The New York Times Book Review) in a “lively and…rigorous book” (The Wall Street Journal) that will delight students of American political history.The Triumph of William McKinley – (SUMMARY & HIGHLIGHTS - NOT ORIGINAL BOOK)

Above all, he offered bold, controversial answers to the nation’s most pressing problem-how to make a new, more global economy work for every American-and although this split his own party, he won the White House by sticking to his principles, defeating a champion of economic populism, William Jennings Bryan. He deployed campaign tactics still used today, including targeting voters with the best available technology. Running on the slogan “The People Against the Bosses,” McKinley also took on the machine men who dominated his own party. Knowing his party needed to expand its base to win, he reached out to diverse ethnic groups, seeking the endorsement of Catholic leaders and advocating for black voting rights. McKinley, a Civil War hero, changed the arc of American history by running the first truly modern presidential campaign. With “a sure touch professional eye” (The Washington Post), Rove tells the story of the 1896 election and shows why McKinley won, creating a governing majority that dominated American politics for the next thirty-six years. McKinley’s winning presidential campaign addressed these challenges and reformed his party. The 1896 political environment resembles that of today: an electorate being transformed by a growing immigrant population, an uncertain economy disrupted by new technologies, growing income inequality, and basic political questions the two parties could not resolve. A fresh look at President William McKinley from New York Times bestselling author and political mastermind Karl Rove-“a rousing tale told by a master storyteller whose love of politics, campaigning, and combat shines through on every page” (Doris Kearns Goodwin, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Team of Rivals).

The triumph of william mckinley