Battle for the Soul: Inside the Democrats’ Campaigns to Defeat Trump

Atlantic staff writer Dovere debuts with an incisive and deeply reported portrait of the Democratic Party in exile during the Trump presidency, and the confluence of events that brought Joe Biden to victory in 2020. Opening with election night 2016, Dovere discusses various factors contributing to Hillary Clinton’s defeat, including her flaws as a campaigner and Obama’s “negligence” of Democratic Party infrastructure during his presidency, and describes initial discussions about how best to organize the resistance to Trump. Turning to the 2020 primaries, Dovere offers sharp assessments of each candidate (“At his best, [Pete Buttigieg] could appear to be working his way through the primaries as if he were solving a Rubik’s Cube”); sheds light on how Bernie Sanders’s push to get others to commit to Medicare for All set a ceiling on how far a progressive could go in the race; and documents how the Biden campaign navigated Tara Reade’s sexual assault allegation and the “October surprise” of Hunter Biden’s laptop. But in Dovere’s estimation, none of that would have mattered if the Covid-19 pandemic hadn’t masked Biden’s weaknesses and made him the best “fit” for the moment. Though somewhat baggy, Dovere’s narrative is littered with rich characterizations, wry humor, and impressive insider access. Political junkies will savor this satisfying deep dive. (May)