In "Rendezvous with Destiny: Ronald Reagan and the Campaign That Changed America," Craig Shirley tells the tale of Reagan’s triumph. By tracing the path from Reagan’s defeat on the convention floor in 1976 to his ultimate victory on election night in 1980, Shirley shows in gripping detail how Reagan’s unshakeable hopefulness and conservative convictions led to a most unlikely presidency. Shirley explores the Gipper’s underreported wilderness years (1976–79) and follows him as Reagan hones his message, assembles his team, and launches his bid for the White House amid the inflation crisis, the Panama Canal fight, and Jimmy Carter’s era of malaise. To write Rendezvous with Destiny Shirley gained unprecedented access to 1980 campaign files and conducted more than two hundred insider interviews. The result is the first comprehensive history of the hard-fought 1980 primaries and crucial general election campaign. Reagan’s quest for the presidency was an often lonely one, Shirley reveals. This is the story of how Reagan successfully battled the headwinds of the national media, the Republican Party establishment, and even his own campaign team to become one of America’s greatest chief executives