“[Stonecash] takes a deep dive into the key issues that set the GOP on its current path and enables it to maintain its predominant role.... This is a readable and timely book. Highly recommended.” —Choice "A tour de force for understanding how the modern GOP became what it is and what this might mean for the future of US politics." —Seth C. McKee, Oklahoma State University"An important and original contribution to an underdeveloped area of research." —Jonathan D. Weiler, University of North Carolina at Chapel HillIt is undisputed that the Republican Party has changed dramatically since the 1940s and '50s. But the exact nature of that change—and how it came to be—remain subject to debate. Jeffrey Stonecash meticulously assesses the cumulative effect of a range of contentious issues in US politics to shed light on the decisions that party leaders have made to attract voters, the essence of today's party, and what this all means in terms of the current political climate.