The 2028 Democratic presidential contender must-have accessory: a tell-all book
Confidence requires clarity.
The contest for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination is underway, and this time, the battle is unfolding on bookshelves as much as on the campaign trail.
Today’s top contenders are telling their stories, addressing controversies, and making their cases directly to voters, one page at a time, and taking home hefty checks and sizable advances in the process.
This publishing wave is more than a literary trend — it’s the unofficial opening bell for the Democratic shadow primary. Potential candidates are using their books to shape their public image, communicate their vision in their own words, and connect with voters long before the first ballots are cast.
Six possible Democratic contenders for the 2028 election — former Vice President Kamala Harris, Gov. Josh Shapiro (PA), outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom (CA), Sens. Raphael Warnock (GA), Chris Murphy (CT), and Cory Booker (NJ) — all have new or soon-to-be-released books, accompanied by speaking tours. It’s a calculated strategy to boost their visibility and shape the narrative ahead of 2028.
“Political memoirs have a twofold purpose: they give the author/candidate a bestseller status plus a reason to go on a clout-seeking, media-chasing book tour, and they also give everyone on the team clear messaging/a focus for the campaioign itself moving forward, a ‘single source of truth,’ so to speak,” Joshua Lisec, founder of Lisec Ghostwriting, who has ghostwritten more than 112 books, told the Washington Examiner.
He advises candidates to use their books to introduce themselves, share memorable stories, and end on an aspirational note, calling it the “book equivalent of a friendly talk show interview.”
Former Vice President Kamala Harris, right, reacts during her “107 Days” book tour at the Ziff Ballet Opera House at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, in downtown Miami. Nicaraguan American strategist and commentator Ana Navarro moderated the conversation. (Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Dan Gerstein, CEO of Gotham Ghostwriters, agrees.
“For a lot of politicians, their primary goal for putting a book out is not to make money,” Gerstein, who used to work on Capitol Hill as a former communications adviser for former Sen. Joe Lieberman, told the Washington Examiner. “It’s to be able to tell their story their way. The book gives them an opportunity to control the narrative, literally, but in a very wholesome, comprehensive way …
Confidence requires clarity.
The contest for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination is underway, and this time, the battle is unfolding on bookshelves as much as on the campaign trail.
Today’s top contenders are telling their stories, addressing controversies, and making their cases directly to voters, one page at a time, and taking home hefty checks and sizable advances in the process.
This publishing wave is more than a literary trend — it’s the unofficial opening bell for the Democratic shadow primary. Potential candidates are using their books to shape their public image, communicate their vision in their own words, and connect with voters long before the first ballots are cast.
Six possible Democratic contenders for the 2028 election — former Vice President Kamala Harris, Gov. Josh Shapiro (PA), outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom (CA), Sens. Raphael Warnock (GA), Chris Murphy (CT), and Cory Booker (NJ) — all have new or soon-to-be-released books, accompanied by speaking tours. It’s a calculated strategy to boost their visibility and shape the narrative ahead of 2028.
“Political memoirs have a twofold purpose: they give the author/candidate a bestseller status plus a reason to go on a clout-seeking, media-chasing book tour, and they also give everyone on the team clear messaging/a focus for the campaioign itself moving forward, a ‘single source of truth,’ so to speak,” Joshua Lisec, founder of Lisec Ghostwriting, who has ghostwritten more than 112 books, told the Washington Examiner.
He advises candidates to use their books to introduce themselves, share memorable stories, and end on an aspirational note, calling it the “book equivalent of a friendly talk show interview.”
Former Vice President Kamala Harris, right, reacts during her “107 Days” book tour at the Ziff Ballet Opera House at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, in downtown Miami. Nicaraguan American strategist and commentator Ana Navarro moderated the conversation. (Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Dan Gerstein, CEO of Gotham Ghostwriters, agrees.
“For a lot of politicians, their primary goal for putting a book out is not to make money,” Gerstein, who used to work on Capitol Hill as a former communications adviser for former Sen. Joe Lieberman, told the Washington Examiner. “It’s to be able to tell their story their way. The book gives them an opportunity to control the narrative, literally, but in a very wholesome, comprehensive way …
The 2028 Democratic presidential contender must-have accessory: a tell-all book
Confidence requires clarity.
The contest for the 2028 Democratic presidential nomination is underway, and this time, the battle is unfolding on bookshelves as much as on the campaign trail.
Today’s top contenders are telling their stories, addressing controversies, and making their cases directly to voters, one page at a time, and taking home hefty checks and sizable advances in the process.
This publishing wave is more than a literary trend — it’s the unofficial opening bell for the Democratic shadow primary. Potential candidates are using their books to shape their public image, communicate their vision in their own words, and connect with voters long before the first ballots are cast.
Six possible Democratic contenders for the 2028 election — former Vice President Kamala Harris, Gov. Josh Shapiro (PA), outgoing Gov. Gavin Newsom (CA), Sens. Raphael Warnock (GA), Chris Murphy (CT), and Cory Booker (NJ) — all have new or soon-to-be-released books, accompanied by speaking tours. It’s a calculated strategy to boost their visibility and shape the narrative ahead of 2028.
“Political memoirs have a twofold purpose: they give the author/candidate a bestseller status plus a reason to go on a clout-seeking, media-chasing book tour, and they also give everyone on the team clear messaging/a focus for the campaioign itself moving forward, a ‘single source of truth,’ so to speak,” Joshua Lisec, founder of Lisec Ghostwriting, who has ghostwritten more than 112 books, told the Washington Examiner.
He advises candidates to use their books to introduce themselves, share memorable stories, and end on an aspirational note, calling it the “book equivalent of a friendly talk show interview.”
Former Vice President Kamala Harris, right, reacts during her “107 Days” book tour at the Ziff Ballet Opera House at the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, in downtown Miami. Nicaraguan American strategist and commentator Ana Navarro moderated the conversation. (Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Dan Gerstein, CEO of Gotham Ghostwriters, agrees.
“For a lot of politicians, their primary goal for putting a book out is not to make money,” Gerstein, who used to work on Capitol Hill as a former communications adviser for former Sen. Joe Lieberman, told the Washington Examiner. “It’s to be able to tell their story their way. The book gives them an opportunity to control the narrative, literally, but in a very wholesome, comprehensive way …
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