How do sleepy congressional campaigns become heated battles? What happens behind the scenes during pivotal moments? Sam Garrett explores the dynamic process of electioneering by focusing on the insights and activities of political professionals: the consultants, party officials, staffers, and others who make a career out of campaigning. As his analysis makes clear, how these experts handle crises - be they real, imagined, or manufactured by or for the competition - often shapes electoral outcomes. Garrett explores how political professionals navigate crises over the course of congressional campaigns.