Reagan's Comeback: Four Weeks in Texas That Changed American Politics Forever

by Gilbert Garcia

Never before has the story been told of the dramatic turning point when Ronald Reagan found his voice as a presidential contender and overcame the Republican establishment. Reagan's Comeback is the story of how one state, one man, and one month changed national politics forever. Chronicling how Reagan’s political career nearly ended, this turnabout story is told by those who made it campaign volunteers, financiers, political activists, and media observers. Positioning Reagan to win in 1980, the birth of the “Reagan Democrat” transformed Texas from Democratic stronghold to the reliably Republican powerhouse it is today, since producing five Republican presidential candidates and two Republican presidents, with more to follow. Reagan’s rise and victory against Ford in 1976 mirrors the current climate between the Tea Party movement and the GOP. With the 2012 election in sight, there is no better time to finally tell the whole story of how the Reagan Revolution found its launching point.

Genres: History

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 24, 2012

Reviews

[Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought that this was an excellent book. The book detailed the events during the 1976 presidential campaign in which Ronald Reagan made a monumental comeback only to lose the republican party's nomination for the presidency to Gerald Ford. The book talks about the campaigns that took place in North Carolina and Texas two states that fueled the comeback for the overall campaign. The book also talks about the impact the campaign had on Reagan's successful 1980 campaign for the Presidency. Not only was Reagan facing a loss when he entered the state of Texas to campaign but he was also facing the end to his political career. The book details the exact components that went into saving Reagan from losing the race and ultimately made him a prime contender for the 1980 presidential race, including the accounts from different people working on the campaign itself. This was an excellent book that taught me a lot about how our political system evolved over time into the system it is today and how the state of Texas evolved politically from being a democratic stronghold to being a reliable republican state. I really enjoyed reading this book and would highly recommend you read it as well. It is very informative and very historic. It tells a lot about one of the greatest people to influence history.

[MJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Possibly the most fascinating campaign book I've ever read. It helps that the players involved are people very familiar to conservatives in Texas, especially ones who served with the Young Conservatives of Texas, but it's still interesting in its connect-the-dots, truncated-for-space retelling of the rise of the Republican Party in Texas. It's about Reagan's campaign, but it's also about the GOP, and it touches on a lot of themes that resonate even today (and offers explanations for some of the more baffling divides and attitudes still prevalent in the party in 2012). Well done and very highly recommended.

[TJ Mayes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gilbert does an excellent job examining the 1976 GOP primary in Texas and its effect on modern national and state Republican politics. The interviews and character examinations are particularly interesting.