Finish What We Started: The MAGA Movement’s Ground War to End Democracy

by Isaac Arnsdorf

An explosive, behind-the-scenes look at how a radical group of activists — supported by former President Trump and other radical members of the Republican Party — have secretly compromised the electoral system, precinct by precinct, around the country without anyone noticing.  The biggest threat to democracy going forward may not be coming out of Washington, but at the local level, across the country.

While the country remains focused on the gridlock in Washington, and how to properly think about the events of January 6th, a growing movement of activists have begun plotting around the country with one goal in mind: how to make the Big Lie a reality. Radicalized by Trump’s stirring message of a stolen election, deluged by a tidal wave of propaganda, this national movement have moved beyond rhetoric and into action. They’ve begun capturing local precincts, installing like-minded insurgents, and have developed a new way forward: how to ensure, against all odds, that only their preferred candidates will win elections, now and in the future. 
 
Isaac Arnsdorf has been at the vanguard of reporting on this growing movement for the past year. In September, for ProPublica, he broke the news of the “Precinct Strategy,” revealing how the stolen election myth has inspired thousands of Republicans to infiltrate the party apparatus at the bottom rungs and use their positions to manipulate future elections. While journalists from across mainstream media have covered different aspects of the radicalized Right strategy, from the focus on “critical race theory” to the buildup of white militias, The Redeemers will follow the men and women who are driving this change, the people who are puppeteering them, and those who see the truth but don’t know how to fight back against relentless misinformation and violent rhetoric. 
 
Shocking, alarming, and full of breaking news, The Redeemers is the definitive story of how the insurgents will distort the most sacred institution of democracy: the electoral system itself.

 

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, History, Audiobook, Presidents, American, American History

272 pages, Hardcover

Published April 9, 2024

Reviews

[Victoria Hall-Palerm · Rating 5 out of 5]

An unbelievable (and chilling) piece of reporting — highly recommend for anyone who, like me, would be inclined to dismiss Trump’s supporters as unserious or unintelligent.

[Brigette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finish What We Started by Isaac Arnsdorf is the author’s first published book, but he has written extensively on this topic for other publications. He focuses on the “regular people” in the MAGA movement in addition to Steve Bannon. It is pretty alarming to see in one publication how these people feel - they really seem to truly believe the MAGA lies, and that is terrifying. I can only hope anyone who may be undecided can come across this book and realize we need to stop MAGA and try to figure out a way forward.

[Tracy Caddell · Rating 4 out of 5]

The end of democracy?

Good read that occasionally gets bogged down in minuet details that may bore readers. A book that shows how democracy can die in broad daylight.

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Review of the Audiobook

Published in April of 2024 by Little, Brown, and Company.
Read by Will Damron.
Duration: 8 hours, 52 minutes.
Unabridged.

Finish What We Started is a look at the MAGA/Trump movement from a different perspective. There are lots of books about Trump, his children, Roger Stone, Stephen Miller, Bill Barr, Mike Pence, or any of the other big players in the Trump Administration.

This book is different. It looks at regular people caught up in the movement in official positions and how they reacted. There is a guy who wrote a kindle e-book about the real power of political parties - the local precinct committee person in numbers. The theory is that if you get enough like-minded people in charge of the local precincts, you will control the party.

That author gets the attention of Steve Bannon and his popular podcast and people start buying the book and putting its principles in action. Bannon is the only famous person featured in the book.

The book chronicles the transition from traditional Republicans to MAGA Republicans and the changes that means for basic retail politics (for example, motivating people to actually go to the polls to vote) and what it means for people who have been working for the Republican party for 20, 30, even 40 years. Some of the stories were compelling.

I rate this audiobook 4 stars out of 5.

https://dwdsreviews.blogspot.com/2024...

[Steve Peifer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The people who believe the election was stolen and whose research consists of finding something they agree with on the internet are portrayed with both empathy and dread, which is remarkably difficult to pull off.

Those who know better and embrace it for the proximity to power are shown as the menace they are.

We are in for a very rough ride.

[K · Rating 5 out of 5]

The title on the audio book I have is "Finish What We Started: The MAGA Movement’s Ground War to End Democracy" but this is what the ISBN brought up. Odd.

This is a book everyone should read. This makes me even more wary of MAGA.

[Janell · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book talks of Republicans who are supporters and unsupportive of the current candidate. I found it interesting to see how some of the characters came to their place and opinion of the current Republican Party.

[Kailin Zen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learned a lot here. I underestimated the level of effective strategy and organization on the precinct and local levels, targeted towards removing more moderate “McCain” Republicans from party leadership positions. Makes sense why the Liz Cheney’s of the world are running towards Kamala — there’s no place for them if they can’t win back their party. (Seems unlikely at this point.)

The final lines of the Epilogue are poignant in showing how misguided and weak Democrats are — for believing we need to be friendly, inclusive, and compromising with these people. They have no intention of finding middle ground, and believe fervently and earnestly in their mission. Kamala’s welcome towards Republicans and rhetoric around “representing all Americans” is hopelessly naive — resulting in her representing no one.

Clearly, an equal degree of committed engagement on locals levels on the left is required in these next four years, to pull the Democrats left, in the midst of all the anti-woke handwringing, or it will be Liz Cheney’s party soon enough.

[Fiona]

DNF at chapter 4 due to the writing, which is stilted and gives me a headache. This is a series of profiles on low-level MAGA types and lacks cohesion or overarching theme.

[Melissa Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book . I learned about the MAGA movement.

[Sean Molloy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book talks abt the trump presidency in past tense and I yearn for a time when that was still true 😔

[Andy]

DNF. TMI with inside baseball about people like Steve Bannon. I can understand that MAGA people are really mad about the billionaire class lying to them, exploiting them, and corrupting the government. But that doesn't explain their adoration of their leader.

[Alex Gruenenfelder · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this to be a very compelling entry into the dozens of books that I have read about the power of the MAGA movement and Trumpism in the modern era. Harshly critical of the lies and conspiracy theories that pervade these ideologies, yet oddly very sympathetic to all involved on both sides, this was a personal narrative that is exactly the kind of thing I would like to see more of in political journalism. This is arguably a bit of a deep cut for political junkies, but I highly recommend it to that crowd, especially those who want to figure out how the grassroots part of the Republican Party today is building their dangerous movement.

[Todd Stockslager · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review title: Uniting MAGA, dividing America

Donald Trump won the 2024 Presidential election in a very close race (not the landslide mandate he has claimed), so in a way Isaac Arnsdorf's book on the MAGA movement is a moot point. As Arnsdorf wrote looking forward: "Trump is now desperate to avoid criminal penalties, determined to portray his prosecutions as a political persecution; in the process he is delegitimizing the justice system in the eyes of millions of Americans" (p. xviii), so events have proven Trump to do just that. But the force behind Trump remains, even if he had lost and received the criminal punishments he deserved: at least a slim majority of Americans supports his agenda and will remain after Trump is done. How did this happen?

Arnsdorf focuses on the MAGA movement's effort to take over and remake the Republican Party, starting with the (false) belief that while Democrats committed voter fraud in 2020, it was actually turncoat Republicans who refused to back Trump's claims who enabled his defeat. Quoting right wing podcaster Steve Bannon on January 7, 2021: "These were not Democrats that were thwarting us. These were Republicans" (p. 11). So Arnsdorf documents how MAGA conservatives began taking over the Republican Party at its lowest levels of organization to build up a solid MAGA base.

This book consists of long-form magazine-style writing, based on recent media sources and author interviews (documented in the end notes) with participants in this "Precinct Strategy" approach, which Arnsdorf showed was working as MAGA fought to "stop the steal" of future elections. But as it succeeded the architects of the approach had to transition to emphasizing election security so that Republican voters would return to the polls in force so their candidates could win (p. 84-85).

While the midterm 2022 elections proved to be less victorious for MAGA candidates then expected, the "ground war" that Arnsdorf describes in his subtitle was setting the stage for 2024. At an August 2022 conservative political convention Bannon said "through the '24 elections, we have the opportunity that will never come again. Ever. Ever. We have the ability to shatter, shatter the Democratic Party as a national political institution." (p. 115). Events have proven that the MAGA party formerly known as the Republican Party has taken national power, and as I write this one week into the Trump administration, Donald Trump has violated our Constitution and laws so fast, so hard, and so brazenly that Congress and the courts must wake up and act before it is too late. While Arnsdorf is able to cite a small subsection of 2022 Republican candidates who opposed MAGA extremism (p. 132-136), the 2024 elections demonstrated that the Republican Party is now MAGA, both houses of Congress are now majority MAGA, and a majority of the Supreme Court has demonstrated that it is motivated by MAGA policies and not the U. S. Constitution or law.

What makes Arnsdorf's book so compelling and chilling is that it told us in advance how this "ground war" prepared the way to enabling the second Trump administration's efficient consolidation of power and elimination of opposition, as demonstrated in this article. One thing that has always baffled me about Trump's supporters is that they believe he is standing up for them, the "little guy against power-hungry forces that wanted to crush American freedom" (p. 174), as Arnsdorf writes, while in his whole life in business, reality TV, and politics Trump has only ever looked out for himself at the expense of any law, right or freedom Americans hold dear and which are intended to protect them from people like him. This book demonstrates how that extremism came to define MAGA. but it still doesn't explain MAGA's popularity with the very people that MAGA will crush if implemented as Trump has started to do in his second administration.

As he concludes this short book Arnsdorf again quotes Bannon: "They say Trump's a divider." (p. 204). To Bannon, and Trump, that is a compliment. To the rest of us, it is a challenge to refind the good in American politics, government, and discourse that can unite us, not on policy but on the processes that have made our democracy uniquely stable. I have often in the past called on wisdom (not education, intelligence, party affiliation or any other qualifier) as the necessary qualification for American voters. It will take all the wisdom we can muster as individuals and institutions to refind our good and survive the next four years with our democracy intact.

[Dave Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Isaac Arnsdorf’s book, "Finish What We Started: The MAGA Movement’s Ground War to End Democracy," is not a book about former President Trump, rather it focuses on the grassroots base of the MAGA movement that remains vigorous even after the January 6th Capitol riot. The Washington Post reporter zeroes in on ordinary supporters who believe the 2020 election was stolen and are motivated by a mix of nationalism, traditional social values, and anti-liberalism. This movement’s roots trace back to historical precedents like the 1940s “America First” isolationists, showing a persistent thread of conservative nationalism and conspiracy thinking.

Arnsdorf contrasts the current MAGA fervor with earlier conservative leaders like Nixon, Reagan, and Bush, who despite their conservative policies, did not fully align with the hardline conservatism seen today. For instance, Nixon’s engagement with Communist China and Reagan’s support for immigration and free trade were at odds with the stringent right-wing ideology. The book tells us the impact of the name “Maga,” which, according to research, has gained widespread recognition and negative connotations, even more than Trump himself.

Biden’s presidency has acknowledged this shift, with Biden framing his campaign as a battle for the nation’s soul against an increasingly extreme Republican Party, now dubbed the "MAGA Party." This rebranding effort capitalizes on the public’s growing perception of the Republicans as power-hungry and ruthless. Arnsdorf also explores Trump’s possible second term, where he plans to aggressively target his critics, signaling a departure from past constraints observed during his first term.

Five Highlights

1. Grassroots Focus: Arnsdorf’s book emphasizes the grassroots supporters of the MAGA movement, exploring their beliefs and motivations post-January 6th, rather than focusing on political leaders and operatives.

2. Historical Context: The book traces the ideological roots of the MAGA movement to historical precedents like the 1940s “America First” movement, showcasing a long-standing tradition of conservative nationalism and conspiracy thinking.

3. Contrast with Past Leaders: It contrasts current MAGA fervor with previous conservative leaders like Nixon, Reagan, and Bush, who, despite conservative credentials, never fully embraced the extreme right-wing ideology now prevalent in the MAGA movement.

4. MAGA Perception: Research highlighted in the book shows that the term "MAGA" has a highly negative connotation among voters, more so than Trump, influencing political strategies to label Republicans as extreme and dangerous.

5. Biden’s Strategy: President Biden’s strategic use of the term "MAGA" to highlight the extremism of the current Republican Party underscores the deep political divide and his effort to frame the 2020 election as a moral battle for the soul of the nation.

The MAGA movement, driven by deeply held beliefs and historical ideologies, illustrates how grassroots activism can reshape political landscapes and redefine party identities, highlighting the critical role of public perception and grassroots momentum in contemporary politics. It takes us inside conservative politics from the local level to the White House.

[Aamir Hussain · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting premise that is lackluster in execution. Isaac Arnsdorf charts the course of the MAGA movement with its origins in previous political eras to its current manifestations by focusing on individual people. The book's highlights are interesting eyewitness accounts of the Jan 6 Capitol Riots and the perspective of individuals who believe they witnessed "election fraud" with mail-in ballots (and how these claims are now debunked).
Despite this very interesting subject matter, the book is very dry and reads like a book report. It is bogged down in tedious minute-by-minute descriptions of actual city council meetings, and focusing on how certain far-right individuals became local GOP party leaders.
The main weakness of the book is a lack of overall narrative. It feels like scattered anecdotes all under the umbrella of "MAGA extremists". This is a missed opportunity to engage with the ideology behind the movement. While it is tempting to blame a few extremists for the current situation, Trump enjoys the support of nearly 50% of Americans, which raises the question of why ordinary, non-extremists also seem to buy into the MAGA narrative. These questions are not addressed at all.
Another weakness is any analysis of what non-MAGA citizens can do to contest some of these trends. Should people become "Precinct Chairs," support a third party, co-opt the Democratic party, or pursue state-by-state takeovers? None of these questions are addressed either.
Finally, the book ends rather abruptly and fails to discuss any of what Trump or the MAGA movement might do if/when he is re-elected.
Overall, an interesting book but misses many opportunities to engage readers and ask any broad questions.

[Adam‘’s book reviews · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Finish What We Started: The MAGA Movement’s Ground War to End Democracy” by Isaac Arnsdorf turned out to be a surprisingly thought-provoking read. While I initially expected a straightforward critique of the MAGA movement, Arnsdorf instead takes a nuanced approach, humanizing the individuals involved. One of the book’s key insights is how some extreme MAGA believers have attempted to infiltrate the Republican Party since 2022, with the potential for this effort to continue today.

Arnsdorf goes beyond political strategy to explore each participant’s personal history, examining how their upbringing and early influences shaped their evolving political views. Interestingly, he points out that not everyone in the movement is a die-hard Trump supporter; some are driven by a blend of values or societal pressures rather than an unwavering belief in Trump himself.

The book also delves into the mindset of those who fully embrace Trump’s ideology, tracing how their thought processes have developed over time. Arnsdorf’s empathetic portrayal of these individuals made their perspectives more understandable, even if I don’t share their principles or agree with the outcomes they pursue.

While this book didn’t change my political stance, it offered a deeper understanding of the MAGA movement’s complexities and the spectrum of beliefs within it. Arnsdorf’s approach reminds us that the motivations behind political support are often more multifaceted than they appear, encouraging a more thoughtful consideration of differing viewpoints.

[Tom Schulte · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't know if I will ever tire of insider accounts of Trump's insane, destructive behavior. Unlike that, this actually provides objective information that is very intriguing. This shows Bannon as the architect of a precinct-level GOP takeover during the Biden years. The plan was a very methodical way to put MAGA in as volunteers, then vote in county heads, then state heads and then take over effectively the party apparatus in less then three years.

Apparently they did it.
From ProPublica March 2, 2022:

The “precinct strategy” widely promoted by Steve Bannon has already inspired thousands of Trump supporters to fill local GOP positions ...

Dan Schultz, an Arizona lawyer and local party official who first developed the precinct strategy more than a decade ago. Schultz spent years trying to promote his plan and recruit precinct officers. In 2014, he posted a callout to an internal forum for the Oath Keepers militia group, according to hacked records obtained by ProPublica.

What makes this book so interesting is the detailed first-person accounts from both sides of this nationwide scheme.

From the source, the movement to replace moderate and traditional Republicans.

[K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book describes the transformation of the Republican party into a cult of personality for Trump.

Reading it in May 2025 is hard because we know he was reelected in 2024 and the author was writing too early to write through that lens. It took me back to a few years ago when all MAGAites could talk about was the “stolen election.” Yet when Trump won in 2024 it was somehow obviously correct. Sigh.

I asked my boyfriend, wait, if Republicans were in power in 2020 and couldn't stop the election from being stolen, how did they stop it in 2024 when Democrats were in charge? He thought for a moment and said well, they probably believe Trump actually got 80% of the vote, and the Democrats did their best to get it low enough to cheat him, but MAGA was on its toes this time and stopped them from a total steal. Lol. Too fucking real.

The epilogue, which implies that the author was personally sitting with Steve Bannon at home as he pulled Matt Gaetz’ strings behind the scenes in order to topple Kevin McCarthy, was shocking and memorable.

It's painful because I want to root for Republicans like Kathy, who I perceive as having some integrity. But Bannon was right when he said people like that would be driven out of the party. The change is complete and it won't be reversed.

4 / 5 stars. Isn't reading about your own upcoming demise fun??

[Jonathan Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book that should be of interest to readers across the American political spectrum. Arnsdorf provides an interesting and very readable account of the transformation of the Republican Party in recent years as well as its successes and failures. The book is, in large part, the story of the origins and implementation of the "Precinct Strategy." The narrative is built on the stories of individual people who have been volunteering and working very hard at the grassroots level to make the Republican party both more and less inclusive. The individuals highlighted in the book have been working in relative obscurity, so it's great to have an account of the transformation of the GOP told largely from their perspective.

[Cami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un libro necesario de leer cuando Trump va nuevamente por la Presidencia de la República en Estados Unidos. Esta lectura ilumina cómo el movimiento MAGA (Make America Great Again) cooptó desde las bases el Partido Republicano, transformándolo en lo que es hoy: un espacio donde lo más importante ya no son las instituciones ni los valores conservadores, sino que llevar a Trump a la Presidencia a toda costa, con todos los riesgos que eso implica para la democracia de uno de los países más importantes del mundo. Este libro es una alerta y es, francamente, de lo más espeluznante que he leído en mucho tiempo.

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting view into local players in MAGA politics, and the stories are told like mini profiles, very easy and enjoyable to read about even for a depressing topic. For the past two years I didn’t know exactly how to interpret the common sentiment of “the Arizona GOP has gone crazy”, and this book did a really good job at highlighting some of the changes in just the past few years.

I also never understood how parties were organized at the precinct level, and although not the aim of this book, I have a much better understanding of that now after reading

[Tiger E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It provides a fairly objective review of rise of the MAGA movement and its aims and goals. The book does a good job of describing the aims and motives of the traditional republicans and new comer MAGA supporters. The author provides a good account of the transformation of the Arizona Republican party as an example. I recommend this book to those who want to find something that is relatively objective during an election year.

[Dave · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a good complement to some other recent powershouse books in the space such as "How Democracies Die" by Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt and "Strongmen" by Ruth Ben-Ghiat. Arnsdorf zeroes in on key figures within the movement to better understand the game plan in real time. It's slow at times and gets into a bit too much detail but is worth the time for anyone who wants to continue to learn about this important to[pic and how our democracy continues to be at risk.

[Will · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10

This book really feels more like a quick and light dive into how Steve Bannon and the misinformation space he lives in among others like MGT completely broke and ruined the Republican Party’s chance of ever returning to any normalcy. We even get a couple of chapters to follow one of the more sane cultists, and still, she goes to the end of the earth to defend disinformation like the “stolen” election.

[Susan Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched. Well written. Individuals who ignore the threat of extremism will imperil our country. This was a difficult read as individuals view events/facts in an unsubstantiated way. I had trouble reading this book as it was hard to believe that people could be so short sighted and so influenced by deceit.

I own this book, but I am not sure I want to pass it on to others as it was "painful" to my soul to read.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly scary book. At first I doubted a book on this topic that focused on a handful of people could be effective but as I read it I realized how effectively it showed the changes to the Republican Party from a first party perspective. This book raises many more questions that others need to answer.

[Melanie Pierce · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the frightening book that left-wing folks (like me) need to read to prepare for the upcoming election. Focusing on the tactics that MAGA republicans are using to get Trump in the white house AGAIN. It made me queasy, but gives the reader the motivation to work against the future that the right is moving toward.

[Ph. D. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely chilling account of the MAGA takeover of the Republican Party. If you thought it could never happen here, and wonder how it did, this makes it clear. Inattention, overconfidence, denial,
and cowardice versus a clear and simple mission stoked by fear, resentment and anger. Total mismatch. And here we are.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gave it a 3 only because the minutiae of politics doesn’t excite me. It is a well written and researched book however. It is Interesting to learn how MAGA took over the Republican Party. Pretty depressing though- our country is going in a direction that I don’t support, and which quite frankly shakes me to the core.