Primary Colors (Novel)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Primary Colors is a roman à clef (French for "novel with a key," real-life events in the guise of fiction) inspired by U.S. President Bill Clinton's first presidential campaign in 1992. While many characters and events in the novel are based on reality, much of the book is fictional. The book centers on Henry Burton (thought to represent George Stephanopoulos), a black campaign aide for southern governor Jack Stanton (thought to represent Bill Clinton). It is thought to be influenced by an earlier roman à clef of American politics, Robert Penn Warren's All the King's Men (1946). There is a sequel of sorts to the novel (also by Joe Klein but not anonymously), The Running Mate, published in 2000. Campaigner and former Congressional worker Henry Burton is asked to join the presidential campaign of Southern governor Jack Stanton.