They Said This Day Would Never Come

The thrilling story of Barack Obama's first presidential campaign, and the volunteers and staff inspired by his vision of hope and possibility, that propelled the longshot candidate to become the 44th President of the United States



In the year leading up to the Iowa caucuses, few thought a freshman senator named Barack Hussein Obama would be able to win the Democratic nomination--not to mention become the most popular leader in the world.



But something was stirring. Hundreds of young people from all over the country began assembling in Iowa. These kids became the foundation of one of the most improbable presidential campaigns of our lifetime.



Chris Liddell-Westefeld was one of those kids. He and dozens of other staff and volunteers dedicated every ounce of their time, intelligence, and limited resources to helping elect Obama, as what started in Iowa spread nationwide. Drawn from more than 200 interviews with alumni including David Axelrod, David Plouffe, Alyssa Mastromonaco, Dan Pfeiffer, Valerie Jarrett, Josh Earnest, Tommy Vietor, Jon Favreau, and President Obama himself, They Said This Day Would Never Come takes readers deep inside the most inspirational and successful presidential campaign in recent history.