Reading for Election Season
Five books on the questions campaigns argue about, from the Constitution to the national debt, so you can follow the arguments with the record in hand.
October 2026 · 5 books · The editors
The midterm elections fall on Tuesday, November 3. Campaigns compress big questions into slogans. These books take them one chapter at a time.
Each of them argues a position. Read them alongside the coverage you already follow, and decide for yourself.
Republic, Not Democracy
Miguel Thornton
Why the Founders built a republic with checks on majority rule, and what that design means in a midterm year.
The Party of Lincoln
Miguel Thornton
Twenty claims about the Republican Party's record on race and civil rights, set against the history.
Borrowed Future
Thomas Ortega
The federal debt in plain English: how it grew and who is expected to pay it.
The 536 Billion Dollar Tax Trap
Thomas Ortega
What complying with the tax code costs freelancers and small businesses.
The Media's 20 Biggest Lies About Trump
Miguel Thornton
A rebuttal of twenty major media stories about Donald Trump.