Former Candidate | Author | Speaker

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Available formats: Paperback, Kindle, and Audiobook

Release date: March 19, 2024

As early as middle school, Wendy Davis knew she wanted to run for elected office. For decades, she prepared to enter the right race at the right time. But when she launched her campaign in 2019, she quickly realized there was more to running for office than she ever imagined.

From overblown media stories to back-handed political maneuvers from her own party, The Fight You Don’t See recounts Davis’s underdog race for a seat in the Utah House of Representatives, documenting the hidden battles she faced on the campaign trail—and long after Election Day had passed.

When Wendy Davis decided to run for office, she made a map–a 3 foot square, color-coded, detailed, beautiful, laminated map of her House district. She’s now given us this map in the form of a memoir, the beautiful, sharp, wrenching, joyous story of her campaign, of her life as a woman of politics, of faith, of family, and, now, of words. She’s a writer, a wonderful writer, and I can’t wait for you to read her remarkable map.
–Dr. John Murphy, Professor of Rhetoric and Public Discourse, University of Illinois, and author of John F. Kennedy and the Liberal Persuasion

Elections unfold in public, but like an iceberg, most of the pivotal moments remain hidden from view. The Fight You Don’t See offers an unparalleled firsthand account, unveiling the intricate political maneuvers and undisclosed power plays transpiring behind closed doors during an election. A compelling read, this book is essential for those seeking a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by candidates, the behind-the-scenes dynamics of running for office, and the unseen forces shaping our elections and politics.
–Dr. James M. Curry, author of Legislating in the Dark: Information and Power in the House of Representatives

Wendy Davis has a voice that is both compelling and approachable, and she makes questions of citizenship, belonging, and civil disobedience kitchen table issues in this fascinating memoir. From her childhood in small-town America through her quest to find a seat in the Utah state house, Davis explains tough political concepts and uses her academic expertise and her lived experience as a candidate to give readers a peek behind the political curtain. The Fight You Don’t See makes visible the kind of barriers that women face when they run for office, how social class impacts advocacy, the way party affiliation shapes access to power, and what’s really at stake when everyday Americans participate in democracy.
–Dr. Sarah Jedd, Associate Professor of Communication, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Wendy Davis has written a fascinating account of what it takes to be civically engaged. This is not your grade school civics primer, but an unvarnished look at how politics really works. Read this book to learn the real story behind a political campaign, which is less about glitz than grit. In doing so, you will gain a new appreciation for all the Wendy Davises out there, people of good will who are willing to endure the trials of running for office. At a time when the very future of American democracy is at a crossroads, the nation needs them more than ever.
–Dr. David Campbell, Packey J. Dee Professor of American Democracy, University of Notre Dame

It’s hard not to read “The Fight You Don’t See,” as a love letter to democracy. Dr. Davis digs deep into her own experience, cultural touchstones, and personal growth as motivating factors for her political career. I believe that all of us who are called to public service do so for similar reasons: love of our community, love of our country, and love of making the world a better place. The deeply evocative opening chapters call back to the touchstone moments of her childhood and growing up that help to resolve a person’s conviction that they can and should make a difference.

-Book review by Rev. Tracy Kronzak, MPA