Karl Rove to Publish New Book in November

Posted on August 16, 2015

Karl Rove will publish a new book in November 2015 timed to coincide with the beginning of the 2016 primary season. The book, The Triumph of William McKinley: Why the Election of 1896 Still Matters, will be published by Simon & Schuster.

Rove will likely be offering many opinions and criticisms of the 16 candidates who are vying to be the Republican nomination. He is contributer to Fox News. He writes a weekly op-ed for The Wall Street Journal. He was "The Architect" beyond President George W. Bush's successful 2000 and 2004 campaigns.

With all the interest in today's crowded GOP field currently led by Donald Trump, Rove wants you to go and read about an election that happened about 120 years ago. This is because he sees parallels in what happened then and what is happening in the U.S. today.

The new book covers the 1896 campaign where President William McKinley defeated William Jennings Bryan. McKinley's victory help end a long period of political gridlock and modernized his party. It also created a governing majority that lasted for decades. Roves sees similarities in what happened in 1896 and today's rapidly changing electorate. These include emerging technology, a large immigrant population and economic uncertainty.

Rove says in a statement, "The 1896 election is a compelling drama in its own right—larger than life characters, violence, betrayal, backstabbing and ambition. But McKinley's transformative political strategies and campaign tactics offer important lessons for both political parties today who face a similar landscape and many of the same challenges."