This Is The Plan: How to End America's Meltdown and Save Democracy

By: Wikler, Ben

Published by W. W. Norton & Company, 2026-07-21

From one of the most successful Democratic strategists of the last decade, a revelatory account of what you―yes, you―can do to defeat Trumpism.
This Is the Plan is a hope-unleashing answer for anyone who has looked at the wreckage of American politics and asked: How the hell do we get out of this mess? Ben Wikler, hailed as the “preeminent state party chair” by Nancy Pelosi, led Wisconsin Democrats through a series of hold-your-breath fights against right-wing extremists that resulted, against the odds, in the unrigging of the political system of the most divided―and, until recently, most gerrymandered―state in the nation. Now, he draws on decades of experience in everything from school-board races to presidential elections to bring readers inside the hidden web of power that shapes our lives. At every step, he shows what individuals and small groups can do to help build a future where democracy thrives and our country works for everyone. With verve, infectious humor, and a rallying-cry energy that has inspired tens of thousands of volunteers, This Is the Plan is the book so many Americans have been waiting for: An idealistic-yet-practical guide to turning the present crisis into a better future. 1 image