This critical biography of Huber Humphrey and Eugene McCarthy examines two of the most influential and enigmatic political figures of mid-twentieth-century American life. It describes in incisive detail their rise from common origins, the evolution of their political philosophies, and the continuing rivalry that has changed them, the Democratic party and the course of American history. Almost To The Presidency delves deeply into the conflicting ambitions and periodic confrontations of two old friends and political blood brothers who denied each other a chance to become president and helped put Richard Nixon in the White House. Albert Eisele, a prize-winning political journalist, has taken a long, searching look at these two giants of contemporary American politics and concludes that they are transitional figures who represent the conflicting forces within the Democratic party.