This book investigates how gender norms, specifically masculinity and misogyny, influenced the outcomes and rhetoric of the 2016 United States presidential and congressional elections. Robert G. Boatright and Valerie Sperling, both established scholars in political science, utilize a combination of campaign data, advertising content analysis, and election results to examine the intersection of gender and political strategy. They argue that the 2016 contest served as a catalyst for shifting gender dynamics in American political campaigns, moving beyond traditional partisan analysis to focus on the performance of gendered identities.

Experts identify this work as a significant contribution to the study of gender in American political campaigns. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose and the rigorous methodological approach used to isolate gender as a variable in electoral success.