1968 United States presidential election

1968 United States presidential election was the 46th quadrennial presidential contest, held on November 5, 1968. The Republican nominee, former Vice President Richard Nixon, defeated the Democratic nominee, incumbent Vice President Hubert Humphrey, and the American Independent Party candidate, former Governor George Wallace. The election occurred during a period of profound national turmoil, marked by the Vietnam War, widespread social unrest, and the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy.

Background

The political landscape was dominated by the escalating conflict in Southeast Asia and deep domestic divisions. Incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson, who had won a landslide victory in 1964, faced intense opposition to his handling of the Vietnam War, particularly from within his own party. The Tet Offensive in early 1968 shattered public confidence in the war effort, leading to a strong challenge from anti-war candidates like Eugene McCarthy and Robert F. Kennedy in the Democratic primaries. Following a poor showing in the New Hampshire primary and Kennedy's entry into the race, Johnson announced he would not seek re-election on March 31, 1968. The assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. in April and Robert F. Kennedy in June further traumatized the nation, sparking riots in cities like Chicago and Washington, D.C..

Nominations

The 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago was a scene of chaos, with thousands of anti-war protesters clashing with Chicago Police Department and Illinois National Guard troops under Mayor Richard J. Daley. Inside the International Amphitheatre, the party nominated Hubert Humphrey, who had not contested a single primary but secured delegates through the old party apparatus, with Edmund Muskie as his running mate. The Republican National Convention in Miami Beach was comparatively orderly, where Richard Nixon secured the nomination on the first ballot, choosing Maryland Governor Spiro Agnew as his vice-presidential candidate to appeal to Southern and border states. Former Alabama Governor George Wallace, running on a platform of states' rights and opposition to federal desegregation efforts, launched a successful third-party campaign under the American Independent Party, with former United States Air Force General Curtis LeMay as his running mate.

General election campaign

Nixon campaigned on a "law and order" platform, promising to restore peace at home and achieve "Peace with Honor" in Vietnam. He appealed to the "silent majority" of Americans he believed were alienated by the counterculture of the 1960s and social unrest. Humphrey, hampered by his association with the unpopular Johnson administration and the violent images from Chicago, initially trailed badly but surged in the final weeks after distancing himself from Johnson's war policy in a September speech in Salt Lake City. Wallace's campaign focused on winning Southern states and appealing to white working-class voters in the Midwest and Northeast with populist rhetoric, though his selection of the hawkish Curtis LeMay hurt his credibility.

Results

Nixon won a decisive victory in the Electoral College, capturing 301 electoral votes from 32 states, though he secured only 43.4% of the national popular vote. Humphrey won 191 electoral votes, carrying 13 states and the District of Columbia. Wallace won 46 electoral votes and five states in the Deep South—Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, and Mississippi—along with one faithless elector in North Carolina. The election revealed a significant political realignment, with Nixon making inroads in the South through his "Southern Strategy" and Wallace demonstrating the potency of a conservative, populist appeal outside the traditional two-party system.

Aftermath and legacy

The election ushered in the Presidency of Richard Nixon, a period that would include the policy of Vietnamization, the opening of relations with Communist China, and the Watergate scandal that ultimately led to Nixon's resignation. It marked the end of the New Deal coalition's dominance and the beginning of a more conservative era in American politics. The chaotic 1968 Democratic National Convention led to major reforms within the Democratic Party, including the establishment of the McGovern–Fraser Commission, which increased the influence of primary elections in the nominating process. The election is widely studied as a pivotal moment of realignment, reflecting deep societal fractures over the Vietnam War, civil rights, and the role of government.

Category:1968 United States presidential election Category:1968 in American politics Category:Presidential elections in the United States