The Dynamic Dominion

The Dynamic Dominion tells the dramatic story of Virginia's political transformation from the Second World War to the Reagan Revolution. The cradle of American democracy - and thus of the democratic movement that is sweeping the globe today - the venerable Old Dominion has emerged again in the second half of the 20th century as a dynamic political pace setter for the nation. In 1945, Virginia was a one-party, one-faction state under the aristocratic rule of conservative Democratic Senator Harry F. Byrd and his famed 'Byrd organization.' From his perch as the uncontested leader of the state that led the south, Virginia's Byrd became a regional symbol, a congressional kingpin, and a national power. With its political system and culture static, Virginia's voice was heard nationally mostly in dissent, as it had been for a century. Within a few decades, emerging two-party competition and an unprecedented party realignment combined to place the rapidly changing commonwealth in the national vanguard. Well before Republican parties throughout the South became competitive, Virginia's Republicans in the 1970s compiled the most impressive winning streak of any state party in the country. They did it by constructing a coalition of rural conservative Democrats and suburban Republicans - the same coalition that Ronald Reagan assembled nationwide in 1980, ushering in the Reagan Revolution. As told in The Dynamic Dominion, the Virginia story contains all the excitement, drama, conflict, and intrigue of a fast-paced thriller. It is a story of triumph and tragedy, celebrities and statesmen, heroes and scoundrels - of shifting party loyalties and makeshift coalitions, hard-fought campaigns and razor-close elections - of ambition and cynicism alongside sacrifice and idealism. Best of all, the tale is true. It is the fascinating story of contemporary democracy flourishing in Virginia . . . the place where it was born.

Frank B. Atkinson is the chairman of McGuireWoods Consulting LLC and a partner in McGuireWoods LLP in Richmond, Virginia. In 1994-1996, he served in the cabinet of Governor George Allen as counselor and director of policy. During the Reagan administration, he served as special counsel and deputy chief of staff to the U.S. Attorney General and before that was special assistant in the Justice Department.

Part 1 Preface: A Heritage of Leadership
Part 2 I. The Byrd Organization's Loosening Grip (1945-1953)
Chapter 3 1. Harry Byrd's Virginia
Chapter 4 2. Mountain-Valley Republicanism
Chapter 5 3. Tuck, "Trumanism," and the 1948 Miscue
Chapter 6 4. 1949: Thunder on the Left
Chapter 7 5. The Eisenhower Invasion
Chapter 8 6. "Golden Silence" and Presidential Republicanism
Chapter 9 7. The Ted Dalton Phenomenon
Part 10 II. Hostage to Massive Resistance (1945-1963)
Chapter 11 8. Byrd, Brown, and the Politics of Race
Chapter 12 9. 1957: The Massive Resistance Election
Chapter 13 10. Almond Joyless: The Collapse and its Aftermath
Chapter 14 11. Governor Harrison and the "Happy Bridge"
Part 15 III. A New Democratic Coalition Emerges (1964-1967)
Chapter 16 12. Suddenly, an Expanded Electorate
Chapter 17 13. Identity Crisis: The Goldwater GOP Battles Byrd
Chapter 18 14. Aboard the Lady Byrd Special
Chapter 19 15. The Godwin Revolution
Chapter 20 16. 1966: End of an Era
Part 21 IV. Triumph and Turmoil: The Holton GOP (1968-1971)
Chapter 22 17. Prologue: Republican Resolve, Democratic Division
Chapter 23 18. "It's Time for a Change"
Chapter 24 19. Linwood Holton and the Burden of Being Governor First
Chapter 25 20. 1970: Opportunity Lost
Chapter 26 21. The Reynolds Tragedy
Part 27 V. Obenshain, Godwin, and the Rapid Realignment (1945-1953)
Chapter 28 22. The Realignment that Might Have Been
Chapter 29 23. 1972: Obenshain Takes Charge
Chapter 30 24. Mills Godwin: Reluctant Republican
Chapter 31 25. Armageddon, Virginia-Style
Chapter 32 26. Watergate: Realignment Reassessed
Part 33 VI. The Conservative Coalition and Republican Ascendancy (1976-1980)
Chapter 34 27. The Enigmatic "Coalition"
Chapter 35 28. The State-of-the-Art GOP
Chapter 36 29. Henry Howell Strikes Again
Chapter 37 30. 1977: The Dalton Dream Fulfilled
Chapter 38 31: The "Great Indoor Primary" of 1978
Chapter 39 32. The Obenshain Tragedy
Chapter 40 33. The Country Catches Up
Part 41 Epilogue: Into the Reagan Era