The campaign diaries of Bruce Hawker, strategist for Kevin Rudd, take us from Rudd's removal as Prime Minister on 24 June 2010, right up until that fateful night of 7 September 2013 when Labor rule ended.

This is the revealing and fascinating first-hand account of the drama behind one of the most challenging political campaigns that Australia has ever seen. From the detailed war-gaming of potential political outcomes to the nail-biting lead-up to the polls … What really happened on that campaign trail? How did Rudd resume the prime ministership? Did his ultimate push come too late, or was saving the furniture the best the ALP could hope for? These diaries reveal the extent of News Limited's intervention in events to greatly influence the election. They look at the push for Labor Party reform to restore the Australian public's confidence in stable leadership. And they lament the impossibility of overcoming the hurdle of the negativity surrounding the Julia Gillard coup in 2010. Framed by a prologue and epilogue to set the scene and to analyse the election wash-up, this is a candid, blow-by-blow account of what really went on.

Bruce Hawker is a leading campaign manager with 30 years experience advising leaders in business and politics. He has advised Labor in campaigns since the 1980s and worked on virtually every campaign at state, territory and federal level between 1997 and today. This included a remarkable 10-year run between 1998 and 2007 when Labor did not lose one election at State or Territory level. His blog can be found at www.brucehawker.com