1968 Democratic Party presidential primaries

1968 Democratic Party presidential primaries
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Election name	1968 Democratic Party presidential primaries
Country	United States
Type	presidential
Previous election	1964 Democratic Party presidential primaries
Previous year	1964
Next election	1972 Democratic Party presidential primaries
Next year	1972
Election date	March–June 1968

1968 Democratic Party presidential primaries The 1968 Democratic Party presidential primaries were a pivotal series of state nominating contests featuring candidates such as President Lyndon B. Johnson, Senator Eugene McCarthy, Senator Robert F. Kennedy, Vice President Hubert Humphrey, and Governor George Wallace. Set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and the 1968 United States presidential election, the primaries reshaped intraparty dynamics and influenced subsequent reforms to the Democratic National Committee and the United States presidential nominating process.

Background and political context

By early 1968, President Lyndon B. Johnson presided over an administration marked by legislative achievements like the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and tensions from the Tet Offensive and antiwar protests at Columbia University. The escalation in South Vietnam strained relations with allies such as Robert McNamara and critics including Senator J. William Fulbright and Representative Abraham Ribicoff. The assassinations of Medgar Evers and the civil unrest after the death of Martin Luther King Jr. intensified divisions involving figures like Mayor Richard J. Daley and activist Stokely Carmichael. Factional disputes engaged entities like the New Left, the Young Democrats, and labor leaders such as George Meany, all influencing the Democratic National Committee’s authority and prompting senators and governors to reassess candidacies in states including New Hampshire, Wisconsin, and California.

Major candidates and campaigns

President Lyndon B. Johnson initially faced challenges from antiwar Democrat Eugene McCarthy of Minnesota and later from Senator Robert F. Kennedy of New York, while Vice President Hubert Humphrey mounted a campaign later relying on party insiders and endorsements from figures like Speaker John McCormack and Senator Edmund Muskie. Governor George Romney of Michigan and Governor Nelson Rockefeller of New York were considered potential alternatives alongside Governor Lyndon B. Johnson’s supporters such as Secretary of State Dean Rusk and Secretary of Defense Clark Clifford. Populist Governor George Wallace of Alabama ran a third-party challenge appealing to segregationist and law-and-order constituencies and drawing attention from strategists like Roger Ailes and pollsters from firms linked to The New York Times and Gallup. Campaigns deployed tactics involving television appearances on Meet the Press, radio interviews with hosts like Edward R. Murrow sympathizers, and grassroots organizing by groups connected to Students for a Democratic Society and labor unions including the AFL–CIO.

Primary contests and key results

The first major contest in New Hampshire saw Eugene McCarthy score a strong showing against Lyndon B. Johnson, with press coverage by The New York Times and The Washington Post amplifying results. After the Tet Offensive and declining approval reflected in Gallup polling, Robert F. Kennedy entered and won primaries in Indiana, Nebraska, and notable victories in California and South Dakota, while Hubert Humphrey avoided primaries and secured delegates through state conventions and party machinery in states like Illinois and New York. Notable primary clashes included the Wisconsin and Oregon contests involving Governor Lyndon B. Johnson’s supporters, Senator Eugene McCarthy’s antiwar base, and Kennedy’s coalition of labor and minority voters including activists allied with Coretta Scott King. The assassination of Robert F. Kennedy after the California primary abruptly altered delegate math and led to contested slates and floor fights at state conventions in Missouri, New Jersey, and Florida.

Impact of the Vietnam War and civil unrest

The Vietnam War dominated rhetoric from candidates and commentators such as Senators Wayne Morse and Frank Church, with the Tet Offensive catalyzing antiwar sentiment under spokespeople including Daniel Ellsberg and organizations like Vietnam Veterans Against the War. Civil unrest following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. triggered riots in cities such as Detroit, Washington, D.C., and Los Angeles, involving local officials like Mayor Mayor Richard J. Daley and police chiefs who became focal points for criticism by activists including James Farmer and Bayard Rustin. The intersection of foreign policy and domestic order fragmented traditional Democratic coalitions comprising labor leaders like Walter Reuther, civil rights leaders including Roy Wilkins, and liberal intellectuals around periodicals such as The Nation and The Atlantic.

Democratic National Convention and nomination

The 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago became a flashpoint where Mayor Richard J. Daley’s administration confronted demonstrators organized by the National Mobilization Committee to End the War in Vietnam and groups including the Yippies and Students for a Democratic Society. Inside the International Amphitheatre, delegate battles involved figures like Vice President Hubert Humphrey, Senator Edmund Muskie, and state delegations marshaled by Chair Tom Finletter allies; Humphrey secured the nomination through delegate support from party regulars, labor leaders such as George Meany, and surrogates like Eugene Rostow. Televised clashes between Chicago police, activists, and federal observers triggered condemnation from journalists such as Mike Royko and broadcasters at CBS News, while procedural debates at credentials committees highlighted reformers aligned with Senator George McGovern and activists seeking changes later enacted in the McGovern–Fraser Commission.

Aftermath and influence on the 1968 election cycle

The primaries and the convention left the Democratic Party fractured, facilitating Republican nominee Richard Nixon’s strategy emphasizing law and order with advisors like John Mitchell and campaign architect H. R. Haldeman. The internal reforms spurred by leaders including Senator George McGovern and party critics such as Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s allies led to the McGovern–Fraser Commission and altered delegate selection processes by 1972, influencing future nominees like Senator George McGovern and President Jimmy Carter. The 1968 cycle reshaped alliances among labor, civil rights organizations like the NAACP, student activists, and state party machines in states such as California, Texas, and New York, and left enduring legacies in the practices of the Democratic National Committee and the mechanics of American presidential nominations.

Category:United States presidential primaries Category:1968 United States presidential election