Southern Man by Greg Iles

 Southern Man is the continuation of the story of idealistic Southern lawyer  and writer, Penn Cage. It is 17 years since the events of the previous book, when Penn lost his fiancee and his father. Now his mother is dying and his own cancer, that had long been in remission, is starting to flare up. Onto the scene bursts Bobby White, military hero and radio disc jockey, who has decided to run for president as a third party candidate. On paper, he seems like an ideal candidate, but Bobby has both secrets (he's gay) and no moral compass, which means he will do anything to become president, and there are lots of rich folks in his hometown of Bienville, Mississippi who are happy to help him. His machinations lead to major racial strife in Bienville and plenty of mayhem, with Penn, his feisty daughter Annie, and a handful of loyal friends trying to stop him and possibly save the country.

Be warned that this book is nearly 1000 pages long, so don't pick it up unless you can commit real time to it. But it is a thought-provoking story.