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

Review Quotes:
Ben Wikler helped build the most effective state political operation in the country. This book is the blueprint--but it reads like a page-turner. Funny, fiery, and full of stories you won't believe are about state legislatures and judicial elections, This Is the Plan is that rare political book you actually want to read, not one you feel like you ought to. You don't need to have knocked on a door or gone to a rally. You just need to know something's wrong in this country and decide that you want to be part of fixing it.--Jon Favreau, cofounder of Crooked Media and coauthor of the New York Times best-seller Democracy or Else

Review Quotes:
My fellow Wisconsinite Ben Wikler has written the book we need right now. Whip-smart, battle-tested and funny as hell, Wikler--the most effective political organizer I have ever known--gives us a clear, concise, hilarious call to action. If you want to know what you can do to save our democracy and hold our country up to its spectacular unfulfilled promise, yup, this is the plan.--Bradley Whitford

Review Quotes:
The first step to saving America's democracy is knowing it can be done. Enter political strategist, leader, and organizer Ben Wikler. With straight talk, clear ideas, and visionary thinking, This Is the Plan shows everyday patriots how we restore our nerve, widen our field of view, and build a stronger nation than we've ever had before.--Stacey Abrams

Review Quotes:
Ben Wikler offers a deeply informed, thorough, and convincing blueprint for recovering American democracy in prose so engaging and fun that you will not want to stop turning the pages. A must-read for anyone concerned about the future of the country and wondering how to get involved in the political system.--Heather Cox Richardson, New York Times best-selling author of Democracy Awakening

Review Quotes:
People constantly ask me, 'What is the plan?' Well, This Is the Plan is the plan. Ben Wikler is one of the most strategic and respected leaders of his generation. If we do what this book says, we will win.--Nancy Pelosi

Publisher Marketing:

If you are looking at the spiraling crisis of American politics in the Trump era and wondering how the hell we get out of this mess, This Is the Plan is the book you've been waiting for.

Ben Wikler led the Democratic Party of Wisconsin to a string of improbable victories in a state with a political system so rigged that it was dubbed a "democracy desert"--which is, coincidentally, Trump's goal for the whole country.

Now, in This Is the Plan, Wikler distills lessons from the front lines in America's most closely divided state to map out a comprehensive plan to dictator-proof American government, defeat MAGA at every level of the ballot, and build a future of democracy, opportunity, and freedom for all.

It will be a blast. The plan is to, as he writes, "have fun storming the castle--in a civil, metaphorical, and non-January-6th-y way."

Drawing on decades of organizing, from local races (including a race for county coroner that hinged on the issue of zombification) to presidential showdowns, Wikler brings us behind the scenes to explore the hidden structures of power that shape our politics and our lives, and takes us into the art and science of winning elections. As he details a people-powered path out of the political wilderness, Wikler reveals what you personally can do to move the needle.

This Is the Plan reveals, year by year and step by step, a vision not only to end America's collapse into authoritarianism but also to reconnect us to our neighbors--and, fighting side by side for democracy, to build meaning, community, and joy.

Review Citations:

• Publishers Weekly 05/04/2026 (EAN 9781324131434, Hardcover)
• Kirkus Reviews 06/15/2026 (EAN 9781324131434, Hardcover)

Contributor Bio:Wikler, Ben
Ben Wikler is an American political organizer who served as the chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin from July 2019 to July 2025. He lives in Madison, Wisconsin.