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Reagan Rising: The Decisive Years, 1976–1980
With a Foreword by Jon Meacham
New York Times bestselling biographer Craig Shirley charts Ronald Reagan’s astonishing rise from the ashes of his lost 1976 presidential bid to overwhelming victory in 1980. American conservatism—and the nation itself—would never be the same.
In 1976, when Ronald 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.
But it was not only the former governor's political philosophy that was changing. A new man was emerging as well: The angry anticommunist was evolving into a more reflective, thoughtful, hopeful, and more spiritual leader. Championing the individual at home, rejecting containment and détente abroad, and advocating for the defeat of Soviet communism, his appeal crossed party lines.
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 as well as emerging hopefuls.
New York Times bestselling biographer Craig Shirley charts Ronald Reagan’s astonishing rise from the ashes of his lost 1976 presidential bid to overwhelming victory in 1980. American conservatism—and the nation itself—would never be the same.
In 1976, when Ronald 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.
But it was not only the former governor's political philosophy that was changing. A new man was emerging as well: The angry anticommunist was evolving into a more reflective, thoughtful, hopeful, and more spiritual leader. Championing the individual at home, rejecting containment and détente abroad, and advocating for the defeat of Soviet communism, his appeal crossed party lines.
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 as well as emerging hopefuls.
437 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 21, 2017
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255 people want to read
About the author
Craig Shirley
19 books51 followersCraigan Paul Shirley is an American political consultant and author of several books on Ronald Reagan.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 6, 2018
https://bestpresidentialbios.com/2018...
“Reagan Rising: The Decisive Years, 1976-1980” by Craig Shirley was published in 2017. It is the most recently-published (and the second in sequence) of four books by Shirley focused on various aspects of Ronald Reagan’s national political career and retirement. Shirley is an author and pubic affairs consultant, a member of the Board of Governors of the Reagan Ranch and a Trustee of Eureka College (Reagan’s alma mater). His most recent book “Citizen Newt: The Making of a Reagan Conservative” was published in 2017.
This 329-page book, like the first book in the sequence (“Reagan’s Revolution,”) is an extremely readable review of a relatively brief period of time. In this case, Shirley’s focus is the four-year period between Reagan’s unsuccessful presidential campaign in 1976 and his successful effort to become the Republican presidential nominee in 1980.
Though this is a biography focused principally on Reagan and his campaign (and his competitors for the Republican nomination) it also provides illuminating focus on the state of the Republican party following Gerald Ford’s 1976 electoral loss as well as the political and economic climate of the country during Jimmy Carter’s presidency.
The author’s writing style makes for a carefree and eminently comprehensible reading experience but it often proves far too breezy and informal. And although Shirley’s conspicuous enthusiasm for his subject did not memorably tarnish the narrative in “Reagan Rising,” here it allows Reagan’s halo to perpetually shine while Ford, Carter and John Sears (his campaign manager) rarely seem more than blundering fools.
Shirley does a reasonable job introducing and developing characters central to the 1980 nomination fight such as Robert Dole, George H.W. Bush and John Connally. And he does well highlighting the various structural and self-inflicted headwinds faced by the Carter administration. But the most valuable insight Shirley provides may be the behind-the-scenes view of Reagan’s campaign to which the the reader is treated – turmoil and all.
But the book’s imperfections often overshadow its merits. Where some presidential biographies groan under the weight of history (and occasionally a sluggish literary style), reading this book is reminiscent of eating cotton candy. It is often pleasant in the moment…but eventually you decide there isn’t quite enough substance. And while Shirley thoughtfully injects cultural and economic context into the book, it often feels like “filler” rather than the political connective tissue found in some of Steven Hayward’s coverage of Reagan.
But most disappointing may be that the story of Reagan’s presidential campaign – from its inception through the New Hampshire primary – consumes several often interesting chapters…but the final five months of the campaign only requires three pages. And the Republican convention itself (including Reagan’s selection of Bush as his VP) garners hardly a full page. (Note: coverage of Reagan’s ensuing campaign against Carter as the Republican nominee is reserved for “Rendezvous with Destiny” which I am reading next.)
Overall, Craig Shirley’s “Reagan Rising” is disappointing as a review of the four years leading up to Ronald Reagan’s selection in 1980 as the Republican presidential nominee. Some of the disappointment is due to the author’s writing style; some is undoubtedly due to the book’s relatively narrow scope. But it is not at all clear that Reagan’s primary campaign is better covered here than in the 30 pages it receives in Lou Cannon’s “Governor Reagan.”
Overall rating: 3 stars
“Reagan Rising: The Decisive Years, 1976-1980” by Craig Shirley was published in 2017. It is the most recently-published (and the second in sequence) of four books by Shirley focused on various aspects of Ronald Reagan’s national political career and retirement. Shirley is an author and pubic affairs consultant, a member of the Board of Governors of the Reagan Ranch and a Trustee of Eureka College (Reagan’s alma mater). His most recent book “Citizen Newt: The Making of a Reagan Conservative” was published in 2017.
This 329-page book, like the first book in the sequence (“Reagan’s Revolution,”) is an extremely readable review of a relatively brief period of time. In this case, Shirley’s focus is the four-year period between Reagan’s unsuccessful presidential campaign in 1976 and his successful effort to become the Republican presidential nominee in 1980.
Though this is a biography focused principally on Reagan and his campaign (and his competitors for the Republican nomination) it also provides illuminating focus on the state of the Republican party following Gerald Ford’s 1976 electoral loss as well as the political and economic climate of the country during Jimmy Carter’s presidency.
The author’s writing style makes for a carefree and eminently comprehensible reading experience but it often proves far too breezy and informal. And although Shirley’s conspicuous enthusiasm for his subject did not memorably tarnish the narrative in “Reagan Rising,” here it allows Reagan’s halo to perpetually shine while Ford, Carter and John Sears (his campaign manager) rarely seem more than blundering fools.
Shirley does a reasonable job introducing and developing characters central to the 1980 nomination fight such as Robert Dole, George H.W. Bush and John Connally. And he does well highlighting the various structural and self-inflicted headwinds faced by the Carter administration. But the most valuable insight Shirley provides may be the behind-the-scenes view of Reagan’s campaign to which the the reader is treated – turmoil and all.
But the book’s imperfections often overshadow its merits. Where some presidential biographies groan under the weight of history (and occasionally a sluggish literary style), reading this book is reminiscent of eating cotton candy. It is often pleasant in the moment…but eventually you decide there isn’t quite enough substance. And while Shirley thoughtfully injects cultural and economic context into the book, it often feels like “filler” rather than the political connective tissue found in some of Steven Hayward’s coverage of Reagan.
But most disappointing may be that the story of Reagan’s presidential campaign – from its inception through the New Hampshire primary – consumes several often interesting chapters…but the final five months of the campaign only requires three pages. And the Republican convention itself (including Reagan’s selection of Bush as his VP) garners hardly a full page. (Note: coverage of Reagan’s ensuing campaign against Carter as the Republican nominee is reserved for “Rendezvous with Destiny” which I am reading next.)
Overall, Craig Shirley’s “Reagan Rising” is disappointing as a review of the four years leading up to Ronald Reagan’s selection in 1980 as the Republican presidential nominee. Some of the disappointment is due to the author’s writing style; some is undoubtedly due to the book’s relatively narrow scope. But it is not at all clear that Reagan’s primary campaign is better covered here than in the 30 pages it receives in Lou Cannon’s “Governor Reagan.”
Overall rating: 3 stars
June 22, 2017
This book was just okay. It seemed to be billed more as a book about Reagan's ideological refinements and philosophical evolutions, and there was some of that, but it was very surface level. Nothing deep, which was a disappointment for me.
Really this book is a solid, well written recount of events from the end of the '76 primary to the '80 general election. Frankly however, it was not all that engaging, mostly because of the material itself. Shirley writes in the same incredibly readable style as his other books (this book picks up almost immediately after his book about the '76 campaign), but there is just less consequential stuff happening here. The book really didn't start to pick up for me until the primary campaign, but that was already near the end.
I certainly learned some things, and it's obviously very well-researched and pithily written, but ultimately I think Shirley was held back by the time period itself, as well as his choice to treat it the way he did.
Really this book is a solid, well written recount of events from the end of the '76 primary to the '80 general election. Frankly however, it was not all that engaging, mostly because of the material itself. Shirley writes in the same incredibly readable style as his other books (this book picks up almost immediately after his book about the '76 campaign), but there is just less consequential stuff happening here. The book really didn't start to pick up for me until the primary campaign, but that was already near the end.
I certainly learned some things, and it's obviously very well-researched and pithily written, but ultimately I think Shirley was held back by the time period itself, as well as his choice to treat it the way he did.
January 22, 2018
Ennesimo Libro di Shirley della sua monumentale biografia di Reagan.
La Premessa è quella di studiare gli anni tra la fallita campagne del 76 e la Vittoriosa Campagne del 1980
Si dovrebbe studiare la evoluzione politica di Reagan e il suo smussare certe punte estremistiche in politica, mentra abbraccia la visione "momnetarista" della Economia che diventerà la poi celebre supply-side economics.
Risultato Raggiunto solo in parte, metre molto spazio è lasciato alle lotte intestine del Partito Repubblicano e alla impietosa analisi della Presidenza Carter.
Nondimeno Lettura godibilissima.
La Premessa è quella di studiare gli anni tra la fallita campagne del 76 e la Vittoriosa Campagne del 1980
Si dovrebbe studiare la evoluzione politica di Reagan e il suo smussare certe punte estremistiche in politica, mentra abbraccia la visione "momnetarista" della Economia che diventerà la poi celebre supply-side economics.
Risultato Raggiunto solo in parte, metre molto spazio è lasciato alle lotte intestine del Partito Repubblicano e alla impietosa analisi della Presidenza Carter.
Nondimeno Lettura godibilissima.
June 13, 2017
How could I not enjoy a book about Ronald Reagan's rise to power after his bitter defeat at the 1976 GOP convention. But, I wish there was more insight Reagan's thoughts and actions. The most important example is the decision to hire and follow the lead of John Sears - generally regarded as the campaign manager who almost blew Reagan's chances to get the 1980 nomination. Did Reagan and his inner circle debate the issue much? Why did Reagan choose him? How did he conclude that it was time to fire him?
I did not realize the animosity between Reagan and Ford.
The biggest surprise for me was the abject failure of the Carter presidency. I had forgotten how bad he was as president and as a human being. A small-minded man. The book takes us through the Carter White House's lurching from mistake to mistake.
The second biggest surprise was that I actually came away feeling sorry for Ted Kennedy who tried to wrest the Democratic nomination from Carter.
All in all a good read on the politics of the 1976-80 period in the US. I would liked a little more depth into Reagan.
I did not realize the animosity between Reagan and Ford.
The biggest surprise for me was the abject failure of the Carter presidency. I had forgotten how bad he was as president and as a human being. A small-minded man. The book takes us through the Carter White House's lurching from mistake to mistake.
The second biggest surprise was that I actually came away feeling sorry for Ted Kennedy who tried to wrest the Democratic nomination from Carter.
All in all a good read on the politics of the 1976-80 period in the US. I would liked a little more depth into Reagan.
June 17, 2017
Harkened back to my high school years, which coincided with this book's timeline. Time of feckless Carter presidency, gas shortages, stagflation, and, during my sophomore year, no sports because Rockford couldn't afford them. Struck by Reagan's determination to change the existing dysfunctional order.
March 26, 2017
Craig Shirley has written a number of solid books on Reagan's campaigns, and I think this is his finest yet.
June 24, 2017
The time period here is Reagan between the 1976 convention and his winning the New Hampshire primary in 1980. If you have read Craig Shirley's other Reagan books then you know the Reagan insiders already, but here you get to know opponents like Howard Baker a little better. Baker was a stand-up guy and DC media loved him and thus they saw him as a much bigger opposition to Reagan than the voters did. It reminds you of how this phenomenon is repeated with different people in nearly every election and why the media is taken less seriously year by year.
I like the profile that Craig gives us of John Connally, an LBJ acolyte that is made mostly of ambition and immodesty. The descriptions and stories about George HW Bush help the reader understand how establishment Republicans co-opted the term conservative after Reagan left office while drifting back into their big government instincts. Reagan was a different animal. It's why the voters are looking for another one.
Craig Shirley's books feel like after dinner conversations in their clarity and smoothness. Read a few sentences and you are no longer reading history but sitting in the room with the participants wondering if Mike Deaver is going to throttle John Sears. If Reagan is miffed you can picture the look on his face, not because Craig describes his face but because you can already see Reagan in your mind. The talent it takes to accomplish this kind of writing is not fully appreciated. You have to combine compelling material with style and suspense. There was one sentence in the book where I had to stop and go back and read it again for clarity. The only time in the book. It made me realize how often I have to do that with other authors or even my own writing.
I can't imagine anyone is ever going to top Craig Shirley when it comes to books about how Reagan ran for office. Even if you could dig up new information the writer is not going to be able emulate the alchemy. I picked up his first book on Reagan expecting that I would grow tired with it after 100 pages. I couldn't stop reading it. I hope Craig Shirley lives to be a 100 and writes enough books about Reagan that we get a treatment of Reagan's time as second banana to Errol Flynn.
I like the profile that Craig gives us of John Connally, an LBJ acolyte that is made mostly of ambition and immodesty. The descriptions and stories about George HW Bush help the reader understand how establishment Republicans co-opted the term conservative after Reagan left office while drifting back into their big government instincts. Reagan was a different animal. It's why the voters are looking for another one.
Craig Shirley's books feel like after dinner conversations in their clarity and smoothness. Read a few sentences and you are no longer reading history but sitting in the room with the participants wondering if Mike Deaver is going to throttle John Sears. If Reagan is miffed you can picture the look on his face, not because Craig describes his face but because you can already see Reagan in your mind. The talent it takes to accomplish this kind of writing is not fully appreciated. You have to combine compelling material with style and suspense. There was one sentence in the book where I had to stop and go back and read it again for clarity. The only time in the book. It made me realize how often I have to do that with other authors or even my own writing.
I can't imagine anyone is ever going to top Craig Shirley when it comes to books about how Reagan ran for office. Even if you could dig up new information the writer is not going to be able emulate the alchemy. I picked up his first book on Reagan expecting that I would grow tired with it after 100 pages. I couldn't stop reading it. I hope Craig Shirley lives to be a 100 and writes enough books about Reagan that we get a treatment of Reagan's time as second banana to Errol Flynn.
February 23, 2025
This is a good book as a primer of the rise of Reagan from someone who truly loved the guy but tried to be fair in his treatment and that of Carter and Kennedy. It is a quick read, almost like reading newspaper clips from the 1970’s and 1980. Unfortunately, it appeared that Shirley was in a hurry to get his manuscript to his editors or ran out of page space since the end of the campaign has such limited coverage. Shirley also doesn’t fairly share how Reagan’s election – for good or bad – was a transformational one.
In the context of the last few years, it was interesting to read Shirley’s coverage of Reagan’s age, at 65 considered old to seek the presidency. Shirley pointed out that Reagan was younger than many who were president when considered the extended life expediency. It was also interesting to again re-visit how the Panama Canal Treaty was a political liability for Carter despite that it passed in a bipartisan vote.
As an Ohioan who has seen our state go from two liberal Democratic Senators, a progressive Democratic Governor, owning the Ohio Supreme Court, and having Democratic majorities in the Ohio House and Senate to all positions now filled with Republicans, it was stimulating to hear just how low the GOP was after the Watergate debacle and how they came back with vengeance.
As someone who followed politics since I was able to read the newspaper, it was refreshing to read this primer about the 1976 and 1980 election. The fun character of Reagan and dry personality of Carter came through.
What sold me on this book is the forward by Jon Meacham; those few pages were probably the highlight of this book.
In the context of the last few years, it was interesting to read Shirley’s coverage of Reagan’s age, at 65 considered old to seek the presidency. Shirley pointed out that Reagan was younger than many who were president when considered the extended life expediency. It was also interesting to again re-visit how the Panama Canal Treaty was a political liability for Carter despite that it passed in a bipartisan vote.
As an Ohioan who has seen our state go from two liberal Democratic Senators, a progressive Democratic Governor, owning the Ohio Supreme Court, and having Democratic majorities in the Ohio House and Senate to all positions now filled with Republicans, it was stimulating to hear just how low the GOP was after the Watergate debacle and how they came back with vengeance.
As someone who followed politics since I was able to read the newspaper, it was refreshing to read this primer about the 1976 and 1980 election. The fun character of Reagan and dry personality of Carter came through.
What sold me on this book is the forward by Jon Meacham; those few pages were probably the highlight of this book.
June 7, 2019
Craig Shirley’s series of biographies on Reagan are phenomenal. Detailed and well structured, they reveal a lot of Reagan’s character and leadership without being overly biased in favor of him.
This book was good but felt like it rambled a bit without a strong structure like the other books. It also repeated a lot of content from his book on Reagan’s 1976 campaign and his book on Reagan’s 1980 campaign. I was expecting this book to focus more on the commentaries he wrote and his speaking and racial career during that time. Instead the book largely recycled content from his previous books. It was still an enjoyable read but it lacked originality as it repeated so much from previous books. That said, I hope he will write one about the 1984 campaign to complete the collection.
This book was good but felt like it rambled a bit without a strong structure like the other books. It also repeated a lot of content from his book on Reagan’s 1976 campaign and his book on Reagan’s 1980 campaign. I was expecting this book to focus more on the commentaries he wrote and his speaking and racial career during that time. Instead the book largely recycled content from his previous books. It was still an enjoyable read but it lacked originality as it repeated so much from previous books. That said, I hope he will write one about the 1984 campaign to complete the collection.
April 22, 2020
When I picked up this book, I was thinking it would provide some insight into Reagan's state of mind and the strategies he used to get back in the game between his failed bid for the Republican nomination in 1976 and his successful bid for the Presidency in 1980. Unfortunately, the focus here is on WHAT happened rather than WHY it happened, with no real thesis tying everything together. The result is a very surface level, if not always coherent, narrative. There's lots of information here, so it is somewhat interesting, and might be a good supplement for anyone interested in this period of American history. However, there's little to no depth, limiting its value.
Ok, but not great.
3/5 Stars
Ok, but not great.
3/5 Stars
June 27, 2020
I was only 27 when Reagan accepted the nomination. I clearly remember the sense of a nation adrift during the Carter years, a candidate I voted for. Ronald Reagan seem to lift the hopes and the spirits of our nation. He made patriotism popular again. In a clear and insightful book Shirley details the four years as the potential candidates jockeyed for position. With clear writing and wonderful prose he makes this a significant and fascinating chronicle of that pivotal time. I recommend this book to anyone wanting to know more about these times and of Ronald Reagan’s journey to the White House. Next for me is Shirley’s “Rendezvous With Destiny: Ronald Reagan and the Campaign that Changed America.”
July 16, 2017
What Robert Caro is to LBJ, Craig Shirley is to Ronald Reagan. A good source of all things Reagan. This is his fourth Reagan book and I hope there are more to come. Ideally he will write books on Reagan's two terms as President. This book drops a stunner with Walter Mondale's reaction to Jimmy Carter crisis of confidence speech. If you want to learn about Ronald Reagan, read any Craig Shirley book followed by any Lou Cannon book. You will not be disappointed.
July 21, 2025
An inside look at Reagan's wilderness years and the cast of characters around him that made that era so colourful and fascinating to live through and learn about. As a fan of the 40the President, I throughly enjoyed this book. It showed me how this man, the quintessential conviction politician, won the day and became the 20th century's greatest American President.
Bravo Craig Shirley for doing such a masterful job.
Bravo Craig Shirley for doing such a masterful job.
March 15, 2020
Not very deep or insightful, but a lot of good archival/secondary research performed in writing the book, that brought to light many things I wasn’t familiar with. Reagan, at 68/69 during his campaign for the GOP nomination, faced whispers over the age issue, which given recent presidential candidate ages, seems quaint.
August 25, 2017
A great read about a great leader, man, and husband. This book details his improbable rise to the presidency. I marked up my copy of the book with highlights, underscores, and notes on almost every page. A must read.
May 24, 2024
As always, Shirley does an exceptional job with his work. Another fantastic read with valuable insight and important information that I never knew. This insight into the often forgotten years of 1976-1980 are truly the formidable years of Reagan.
June 23, 2025
I was once a libertarian and as that time, I bought this book and at that time I rather liked it and the way it painted Reagan. I am writing this review about 4 years later and am now a socialist so, I'm not sure what to say to justify this rating. It was very well researched and tell a story about the four years between his last failed campaign for president in 1976 and the 1980 election to include the awkward stages of the new right. Beyond that praise, I have a hard time recalling why I liked this book so much. I think if you want to at the very least get a feeling for how Washington DC was in the Carter years, this might be a good resource for that.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews