The Longform Guide to the Campaign Trail
Insider Baseball
A take down of the press corps and the modern presidential campaign, published on the eve of the ’88 election.
Joan Didion New York Review of Books Oct 1988 40min
The Weasel, Twelve Monkeys and the Shrub
On the press buses, nicknamed Bullshit 1 and Bullshit 2, following John McCain.
David Foster Wallace Rolling Stone Apr 2000 1h35min
Atomic: How Manny Pacquiao Got to Congress
Manny Pacquiao, still in his fighting prime, on the campaign trail for a congressional seat in the remote, untamed Southern province of the Philippines that spawned him.
Andrew Marshall The Post Aug 2010 15min
What Makes Obama Run?
A first-time candidate working out his public identity early in his campaign for the Illinois State Senate.
Hank De Zutter Chicago Reader Dec 1995 15min
Hack
The nihilistic confessions of a presidential campaign reporter who covered Giuliani, Huckabee, and Clinton for Newsweek.
Michael Hastings GQ Oct 2008 20min
Building a Better Mitt Romney-Bot
The strengths and limitations of the Republican frontrunner.
Robert Draper New York Times Magazine Nov 2011 20min
Bottle Rocket
Newt Gingrich’s brief turn at the top in Iowa.
Kelefa Sanneh New Yorker Jan 2012 15min
Oct 1988 – Jan 2012 Permalink
