United States presidential election, 1968
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The U.S. presidential election of 1968 was a wrenching national experience, and included the assassination of liberal Democratic candidate Robert F. Kennedy, the violence at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, as well as widespread demonstrations against the Vietnam War across American university and college campuses. In the end, Richard M. Nixon would win the election on a campaign of "law and order". It is sometimes considered to be a realigning election.
Nominations
Democratic Party nomination
The 22nd Amendment didn't disqualify President Lyndon Johnson from running for a second term, even though he succeeded into the presidency because there were only 14 months remaining in John F. Kennedy's term when he was assassinated.Senator Eugene McCarthy was first to challenge LBJ, running for the Democratic nomination as an anti-war candidate and achieving early success with a surprisingly strong second place finish in the New Hampshire Primary. Likely due to McCarthy's success, Senator Robert F. Kennedy announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination in mid-March. On March 31, 1968, Johnson announced he would not seek re-election. Had Johnson remained in the race and won the election, he could have served more than nine years, second only to Franklin D. Roosevelt. After Johnson's announcement, Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey announced his candidacy.
Kennedy was successful in the primaries (in which Humphrey, for the most part, did not compete), but thanks to the large role still played in the nominating process by delegate votes controlled by party bosses, the nominee still remained unclear, even after Kennedy defeated McCarthy in the crucial California primary on June 5. That night, Kennedy was shot shortly after midnight by Sirhan Sirhan; he died the next morning.
Robert Kennedy's death altered the dynamics of the race, and threw the Democratic party into disarray. Although Humphrey appeared the prohibitive favorite for the nomination, thanks to his support from the institutional structures of the party, he was an unpopular choice with many of the more anti-war elements within the party, who identified him with Johnson's position on the Vietnam War. During the 1968 Democratic National Convention, Americans were shocked by television footage of Chicago police brutally beating anti-war protesters in the streets of Chicago. Meanwhile, the convention itself was marred by the strong-arm tactics of Chicago's mayor Richard J. Daley (who was seen on television angrily cursing Senator Abraham Ribicoff of Connecticut, who made a speech at the convention denouncing the excesses of the Chicago police). In the end, the nomination itself was anticlimactic, with Vice President Humphrey beating McCarthy and Senator George McGovern (who acted as a stand-in for many of the Kennedy delegates), even though he had not run in a single primary election during the campaign.
Other candidates in the Democratic primary race included Senator George A. Smathers from Florida, Senator Stephen M. Young from Ohio, and Governor Roger D. Branigin of Indiana.
Republican Party nomination
The Republican Primary was relatively uneventful. Richard M. Nixon had made a comeback from back-to-back losses in the 1960 presidential election and the 1962 California gubernatorial election, and handily won the Republican nomination, easily beating back tentative challenges from liberal New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller and rising conservative star and Governor of California Ronald Reagan.
One opponent who made life difficult for Nixon in the primary campaign was Michigan Governor George Romney, who accused Nixon of having a "secret plan" to end the Vietnam War. Though Nixon never actually said he had a secret plan, both Romney and the Democrats alleged he did.
Other candidates
The American Independent Party was formed by George Wallace, whose pro-segregation policies had been rejected by the mainstream of the Democratic party. The impact of the Wallace campaign was substantial, winning the electoral votes of several states in the Deep South. Wallace also accomplished a strong showing in several northern states. Although Wallace did not expect to win the election, his strategy was that he might be able to prevent either major party candidate from winning a preliminary majority in the Electoral College, which would then give him bargaining power to determine the outcome.Also on the ballot in some states was black activist Eldridge Cleaver for the Peace and Freedom Party. Comedians Dick Gregory and Pat Paulsen were notable write-in candidates.
General election
Campaign
Nixon campaigned on a "law and order" theme, which appealed to many voters angry at hundreds of violent riots that had taken place across the country, with Army troops called out in Detroit and Washington. He had devised a "southern strategy," which was designed to appeal to the middle class southern voters, who traditionally voted Democratic but who were ignored by Humphrey.
Humphrey campaigned on continuing the Great Society programs initiated by President Johnson. Labor unions took a major role attacking Wallace, who was winning half their members according to summer polls.
In the end, the war became the central issue of the Democratic campaign, with the party deeply divided and Humphrey hounded by anti-war protesters whenever he made public appearances. Late in the campaign Humphrey, who trailed badly in the polls, began to distance himself from the Johnson administration on the Vietnam War, calling for a bombing halt. He began to gain momentum, especially when President Johnson actually announced a bombing halt, and even a possible peace deal, shortly before the election. During the campaign, Nixon promised a new approach, which was ridiculed by Democrats as a "secret plan" although Nixon never actually claimed to have a 'secret plan.' In the final days of the election, much was riding on the success or failure of the Paris Peace Talks with the North Vietnamese.
Nixon clinched the electoral vote easily on November 5, 1968, although the popular vote was closer than expected.
Results
Source (Popular Vote): Leip, David. [1968 Presidential Election Results]. [Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections] (August 7, 2005).Source (Electoral Vote): [Electoral College Box Scores 1789–1996]. [Official website of the National Archives]. (August 7, 2005).
National voter demographics
| NBC sample precincts 1968 election | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| % Humphrey | % Nixon | % Wallace | |
| High income urban | 29 | 63 | 5 |
| Middle income urban | 43 | 44 | 13 |
| Low income urban | 69 | 19 | 12 |
| Rural (all income) | 33 | 46 | 21 |
| Negro neighborhoods | 94 | 5 | 1 |
| Italian neighborhoods | 51 | 39 | 10 |
| Slavic neighborhoods | 65 | 24 | 11 |
| Jewish neighborhoods | 81 | 17 | 2 |
| Unionized neighborhoods | 61 | 29 | 10 |
Voter demographics in the South
| NBC sample precincts 1968 election: South only | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| % Humphrey | % Nixon | % Wallace | |
| Middle income urban neighborhoods | 28 | 40 | 32 |
| Low income urban neighborhoods | 57 | 18 | 25 |
| Rural (all income) | 29 | 30 | 41 |
| Negro neighborhoods | 95 | 3 | 2 |
| Hispanic neighborhoods | 92 | 7 | 1 |
See also
- History of the United States (1964–1980)
- History of the United States Democratic Party
- History of the United States Republican Party
- President of the United States
- List of Presidents of the United States
- United States Senate election, 1968
Notes
Further reading
- Gallup, George H., ed. The Gallup Poll: Public Opinion, 1935-1971. 3 vols. Random House, 1972. press releases
External links
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