Overview

An insightful examination of intra-party conflict in Wyoming, revealing a fundamental disagreement between Republicans that will determine the future of the American right.No state has been more Republican and loyal to Donald Trump than Wyoming. The appearance of homogeneity, though, masks a fierce battle for the future of the party. In The Republican Civil War, Stephanie Muravchik and Jon A. Shields draw on years of on-the-ground research and dozens of interviews with elected officials and activists, finding a party divided over whether it should abandon its traditional focus on governance for a new nationalized form of identity politics. While old guard Republicans aim to solve local problems within an ethos of noblesse oblige, MAGA insurgents position themselves as ""true conservatives"" leading a censorious crusade against the establishment. More surprisingly, the same social cleavages that divide red and blue American--class and ruralness--shape this civil war. Most of the new insurgents in the legislature don't have college degrees and see themselves as part of a rural uprising. By shedding light on a civil war in the deepest of red states, this book not only advances our understanding of the new conservative politics of identity, it also offers a clear portrait of a GOP establishment resisting--not just capitulating--to Trumpism.

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9780197832226

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Reviews

If you want to learn about factionalism within the two major parties, this book is a great place to begin. A revolution is well underway, and Wyoming is an especially interesting state to study how it has unfolded. With just a handful of Democrats isolated in glitzy Jackson, Republicans are free to wage war against each other everywhere else. Not content with one-party ascendancy, they go at each other hammer and tongs stoked by the tendentious issues of the social media age. Money still matters, but the populists know how to win at the polls. Let's watch and see if they learn how to govern. * James G. Gimpel, Professor of Government, University of Maryland * Muravchik and Shields combine on-the-ground reporting with academic analysis to provide a lively and compelling account of one front of today's Republican civil war. They find that this civil war may not be as one-sided as many observers assume and suggest the GOP future is less determined than some think. An interesting and thought-provoking study. * William Kristol, Editor at large, The Bulwark * Shields and Muravchik illuminate how the realignments upending political contests between Democrats and Republicans are also playing out within those parties. Combining first-hand observations, deep interviews and tons of data, the authors provide deep insights into populism, the urban rural divide, the diploma divide, right-wing identity politics and cancel culture, and much more. The book is essential reading for this moment, and a worthy follow-up to their 2020 book, Trump's Democrats. * Musa al-Gharbi, Assistant Professor of Communications, Journalism and (by courtesy) Sociology, Stony Brook University *

Author Information

Stephanie Muravchik teaches American politics at Claremont McKenna College and is an associate fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture. Her previous books include Trump's Democrats (2020, with Jon A. Shields). Her writings have also appeared in popular outlets, including the Bulwark, New York Times, and Hedgehog Review. Jon A. Shields is a professor of American politics in the government department at Claremont McKenna College. His previous books include Trump's Democrats (2020, with Stephanie Muravchik). His writings have also appeared in a range of popular outlets, including the Atlantic, Bulwark, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, and New York Times.

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