Starting Over

"George Allen has been a major presence in Virginia and national politics for nearly twenty years. Finally, we have a thorough, well-researched, and comprehensive treatment of his extraordinary political career. Dr. Lynch has also shown how George Allen redirected American conservatism."---Bill Bolling, Lieutenant Governor of Virginia

"In this thoroughly researched and engaging analysis. Edward Lynch makes a convincing case that George Allen not only is one of the most consequential figures in modern Virginia politics, but also one who has had an important impact on the conservative movement nationally. Observers of Virginia politics need to read this book because, despite Allen's surprising sudden downfall in 2006. I am convinced we have not heard the last from him. This book is not only the best work to date on this important leader; it is a guidepost to the likely next phase of George Allen's political career."---Mark J. Rozell, professor, School of Public Policy, George Mason University

Starling Over traces the remarkable political career of former Virginia Governor and U.S. Senator George Allen. Once considered a likely presidential candidate, Allen became a YouTube sensation after a slip of the tongue. But the Allen story is not over and his career has featured multiple returns from seeming oblivion. The author provides a balanced look at Allen's successes and failures. George Allen's career also parallels the ups and downs of modern American conservatism. Allen reinvented conservative political action in the post-Reagan, post-Cold War era. The issues on which he had his greatest successes became the issues that fueled the Republican comeback in the 1990s. In these pages, the reader will learn as much about recent American politics as about Allen himself.