Rev. Jesse Jackson Sr., a civil rights leader and political outsider, ran for president in two groundbreaking campaigns that changed American politics. A son of the segregated South who went from nothing to eventually becoming one of the most well-known public figures in America, Jackson’s outsider political campaigns challenged the Democratic Party to reform its nominating process, more equitably include women and non-white voters, and appeal to Americans on a platform of economic populism.

In 1984, Jackson lost the nomination but started a movement he called the “Rainbow Coalition.” By 1988, Jackson was a force to be reckoned with. This time, he faced a crowded primary of established political hands. The race, led by Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, was heated from the beginning. Jackson, a polarizing but outsized figure, was a magnet for media attention. In both 1984 and 1988, Jackson appealed to Black voters in the South, who formed a critical voting bloc in the Democratic primary. But this time, his appeal among white voters was growing as well. In March 1988, Jackson came from behind to win the Michigan Democratic caucuses and set off a panic in his party. For the first time, the party and Jackson himself, began contemplating: What would happen if he became the Democratic nominee for president?

Below is an excerpt from Abby Phillip’s new book, “A Dream Deferred,” which publishes on October 28.

Jesse Jackson convened half a dozen of his closest advisers in his Chicago home. For the first time, he was beginning to lay out what he would have to do to build an actual presidency if he were to become the nominee.

There was plenty of fear, too. In his own mind, the gravity of the presidency — or the potential of it — descended on him all at once. This was the same man who wore a bulletproof jacket provided to him by the Secret Service as a matter of course during both his campaigns. But for the first time, he was discussing with his closest aides what they would do about cabinet positions and