hate won’t win: find your power and leave this place better than you found it

In this urgent expansion of her viral speech, Michigan Senator Mallory McMorrow details her unlikely journey into politics with a front-row seat to democracy at its breaking point--then outlines the tangible, proven steps that anyone can take to build community, fight for what’s right, and create real, lasting change.

Mallory McMorrow knows what it’s like to feel hopeless. She knew the work of legislating wouldn’t be easy, but she hadn’t been expecting to face democracy at its breaking point: misogyny, rage and conspiracy theories, much less armed protestors storming her own state Capitol. It felt like nothing could get done--and things really needed to get done.

But then fate forced her hand. A Senate colleague smeared her as a ＂groomer＂--simply for standing up for LGBTQ+ kids in our schools. In response, Mallory delivered a blistering speech from the Senate floor that reverberated throughout the country, leading political pundits to hail Mallory’s action as a ＂blueprint＂ for fighting back.

Now, as we face another Trump presidency and so many wonder ＂what do we do now?＂, Mallory pulls back the curtain on what it’s like to work in today’s challenging political arena--and win. She shares the hard-won wisdom of experience, offering a step-by-step guide which breaks down:

• Why you should never fill out online petitions (and what to do instead)
• How to stay informed without doomscrolling
• How to effectively engage with elected officials
• Why local government matters more than federal (for making change)

For anyone who feels helpless, and everyone who is fed up; for those who want to make a real difference but have no idea where to begin--this is a blueprint for the most effective way to fight back, and leave this place better than we found it.

After Googling ＂how to run for office＂ in the wake of the 2016 election, Mallory McMorrow took on an incumbent Republican State Senator as a first-time candidate and won. In 2023, she became the first woman Senate Majority Whip in state history, and only the second Senator in state history to give birth while in office. Her writing has appeared in Road & Track, Jalopnik, Jezebel, The New York Times, NBC News, CNN, and The New Republic. HATE WON’T WIN is her first book. She lives with her husband, Ray, and daughter, Noa, in Royal Oak, Michigan.