Now that campaign season is ending, you might be on the lookout for a new political story. Maybe you want to see a different presidential narrative from the one that's been all over the news for the past year. Maybe you’re a campaign trail-tale junkie, and you'll need to get your fix somehow after voting is over. Or maybe you want to get invested in an election story that's a bit less…real. Whatever the reason, we pulled together a list of nine works of fiction from TV, film, and literature with great election stories for you. And don't forget to vote on November 8!

All The King’s Men by Robert Penn Warren

House of Cards Season Four on Netflix

Primary Colors by Joe Klein

This novel about the presidential campaign of fictional governor Jack Stanton is a close re-telling of the real life events in Bill Clinton’s 1992 presidential campaign. Idealistic campaign strategist Henry Burton grows close to Stanton and his inner circle, but as the candidate is battered by scandal in the primary, Burton is forced to decide if he’ll do whatever it takes to elect him. Originally published anonymously, author Joe Klein drew from his vast experience as a political beat reporter to create the true-life details of this captivating campaign story.

Napoleon Dynamite by Jared Hess

This 2004 comedy about a strange misfit in a small town was a huge sleeper hit and has now become a cult classic. The film tells the story of title character Napoleon, whose uniquely weird brand of awkwardness prevents him from being popular at school. One of the subplots of this film is the campaign for student body president, where foreign exchange student Pedro, whom Napeoleon befriends, runs an underdog campaign against the school's mean girl cheerleader, Summer. If you're looking for a lighter take on election season, this is definitely the movie for you.

 

The Manchurian Candidate directed by John Frankenheimer

This heart-pounding thriller, adapted from Richard Condon’s 1959 novel and remade in 2004 by Jonathan Demme, is as exciting as it was when it first came out to critical acclaim in 1962. An ex-Army Major and stepson of a Vice Presidential candidate comes back from the Korean War a decorated hero; but one of his platoonmates, Bennett Marco (Frank Sinatra) suspects he’s not all he seems. In his efforts to save the Presidential election from sabotage and figure out what really happened in the war, Marco uncovers an eerie conspiracy that threatens the very country itself.

 

Infomocracy by Malka Older

This recent sci-fi novel has a different take on the election process: in the future, the entire world is governed by in a microdemocracy, in which Earth’s population turns out every ten years to choose a party with a Supermajority over all humanity. This process is overseen by a Google-like corporation known as Information, which has infiltrated every facet of life and bombards the populace with data about politics and world affairs. This story of three operatives in an election year is a compelling tale about the impact of globalization and social media on our politics in an increasingly data-driven world.

 

Wag the Dog by Barry Levinson

This satire about public relations and media coverage in an election year has political spin doctor Conrad Brean (Robert De Niro) and film producer Stanley Motss (Dustin Hoffman) team up to create a fictional war to distract the public from the incumbent president’s sex scandal. As their plan gains scrutiny and is undermined, Motss and Brean must pile on lie after lie to hold the public’s interest, in an attempt to deceive them long enough to elect the President. With an ace screenplay by Hilary Henkin and David Mamet, adapted from Larry Breinhart’s novel American Hero, Wag the Dog is funny, biting, and at times, too real for comfort.

 

The Ides of March by George Clooney

In this incredibly well acted and sharply written political drama, junior political staffer Stephen Meyers (Ryan Gosling) becomes tangled up in scandal, deceit, and backroom political bargaining while working for Governor Mike Morris (George Clooney) in the Democratic presidential primary. Morris has a seemingly spotless past, but when his campaign threatens to spiral out of control, Meyers and his team do whatever possible to keep his illicit troubles under a lid.

 

The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling

Not all election stories have to be American, you know – J. K. Rowling’s The Casual Vacancy, her first novel published after the Harry Potter series, tells the story of a local election in a small British town after a beloved Parish Councillor suddenly passes away. In the wake of his death, several residents run for the seat, exposing political faultlines in the impoverished town as the candidates’ own dirty secrets are laid bare on a mysterious online forum.

 

That’s all our election fiction for now! Got any other campaign reads? Shout them out in the comments!