Willie Stark is an uncorrupted small-town mayor in 1950s Louisiana. He gets picked by the political machine to run as a wild card candidate in the upcoming gubernatorial race. But, when Willie realizes that he is being manipulated, he veers off on his own to become the darling of the electorate's downtrodden and forgotten hicks. Covering the campaign for a local paper is Jack Burden, whose editorial pieces become so admiring of Willie that he's fired....

The story of a political and personal triumphs, defeats and embarrassments of Minnesota's most flamboyant governor, Jesse Ventura. Written by one who saw the inside of the Ventura household, from the vantage point as manager of the Minnesota Governor's Residence during the independent politician's reign. A revealing account of Ventura's strengths and weaknesses, which created the controversies that spawned a political meltdown and spurred the Governor...

Ex-private investigator John Black becomes involved in a search for a murderer as one of the candidates for governor of California tries to kill his way into office.