After the 2012 election, the GOP was in the wilderness. Lost and in disarray. And doggedly determined to do whatever it took to get back to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. McKay Coppins has had unparalleled access to Republican presidential candidates, power brokers, lawmakers, and Tea Party leaders.

Based on more than 300 interviews, The Wilderness is the book that opens up the party like never before: the deep passions, larger-than-life personalities, and dagger-sharp power plays behind the scenes. In wildly colorful scenes, this exclusive look into the Republican Party at a pivotal moment in its history follows a cast of its rising stars, establishment figures, and loudmouthed insurgents—Jeb Bush, Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, Bobby Jindal, Rand Paul, Marco Rubio, Paul Ryan, Donald Trump, Scott Walker, and dozens of others—as they battle over the future of the party and its path to the presidency.

Praise for The Wilderness

"A dizzying, brilliant guide to the behind-the-scenes chaos, along with fully drawn portraits of the men and women who would be president … As this book trenchantly shows, the Republican Party is still searching for a way out of the wilderness. Coppins is a superb guide for voters seeking clarity about the ideas and styles of the current Republican candidates."
Publishers Weekly

"A resounding study of the 'clash of egos and personalities' that is the Republican primary scramble. And what a clash it is … A must for politics junkies."
Kirkus Reviews

"Coppins is a dogged reporter and a deft storyteller … Lively and worthy reading for Americans who just can't get enough of one of the stranger major-party nomination fights in recent history."
San Francisco Chronicle

"The Wilderness is a book that goes far to break up sound-bite, Twitter-enabled political messaging to reveal what voters need to know about this collection of self-styled rogues now fracturing the Grand Old Party."
Chicago Tribune

"Widely sourced and compellingly written, The Wilderness offers a rich and entertaining mix of gossip and political scheming...."
Walter Russell Mead, Foreign Affairs