The Long Southern Strategy: How Chasing White Voters in the South Changed American Politics by Angie Maxwell and Todd ShieldsRead about the other entries on the list.
Believe it or not, the American South was once deeply blue, before a sea change that swapped the priorities of the Democratic and Republican parties. In the midst of that transition, then-presidential candidate Richard Nixon deployed "the Southern strategy" — a unique form of dog-whistle politics — to win the South for the GOP. For a fascinating look at the continued use and ramifications of the Southern strategy, check out Angie Maxwell and Todd Shields' The Long Southern Strategy.
--Marshal Zeringue