Election of 1968

Election of 1968 was a pivotal United States presidential election that featured a three-way contest among Richard Nixon, Hubert Humphrey, and George Wallace. The contest unfolded amid the Vietnam War, widespread urban unrest tied to the Civil Rights Movement, and debates over law and order following events like the Democratic National Convention, 1968. The outcome realigned multiple regional coalitions and shaped United States domestic policy and foreign policy into the 1970s.

Background and Political Context

By 1968, the Vietnam War dominated national discourse after the Tet Offensive exposed limits to the Johnson administration's strategy, stirring debate in media outlets such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, and CBS News. The assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy intensified tensions that also involved activists associated with Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, Black Panther Party, and protests linked to Columbia University. The Great Society initiatives promoted by Lyndon B. Johnson were contested in the wake of budgetary pressures and resistance from figures like Barry Goldwater and commentators at National Review. Internationally, crises including the Prague Spring and relations with Soviet Union factored into debates alongside domestic issues such as reactions to rulings by the Supreme Court of the United States including decisions that affected civil rights and voting controversies in states like Alabama and Mississippi.

Major Candidates and Nominations

On the Republican side, former Vice President Richard Nixon secured the nomination after contests against Nelson Rockefeller, George Romney, and Ronald Reagan at primaries including the New Hampshire primaries and the California Republican primary; he accepted at the 1968 Republican National Convention in Miami Beach, Florida. The Democratic nomination process was chaotic: incumbent President Lyndon B. Johnson withdrew and Senator Eugene McCarthy mounted an antiwar primary challenge from Minnesota, while Senator Robert F. Kennedy entered and won several primaries prior to his assassination. Ultimately, Vice President Hubert Humphrey was nominated at the 1968 Democratic National Convention after internal party negotiations involving leaders like Mayor Richard J. Daley of Chicago and labor figures associated with the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations. Populist segregationist Governor George Wallace of Alabama mounted an independent campaign under the American Independent Party banner, drawing votes in the South and among voters disaffected with both major parties.

Campaign Issues and Strategies

Key issues included the Vietnam War and proposals for negotiated settlement versus continued escalation, positions debated in forums influenced by outlets like Time (magazine), Life (magazine), and networks such as NBC and ABC. Nixon ran on a platform promising "peace with honor" and emphasized law and order themes to appeal to voters concerned about riots in Chicago and Washington, D.C.; he courted support from constituencies that had previously backed Goldwater and anti-communist groups such as Committee on the Present Danger. Humphrey emphasized continuation of Great Society programs while attempting to distance himself from the Johnson administration's Vietnam strategy, navigating pressure from Senator George McGovern allies and labor unions like the United Auto Workers. Wallace campaigned on segregationist rhetoric and states' rights, targeting white voters in the Deep South and blue-collar voters in the industrial Midwest. Debates over civil unrest engaged activists from Students for a Democratic Society and leaders like Angela Davis and affected perceptions among readers of The Nation and subscribers to National Review. Campaign tactics included targeted advertising via television advertising buys, direct mail operations influenced by consultants like Roger Ailes and operatives tied to the Committee for the Re-Election of the President precursor groups, and strategic electoral focus on swing states including Ohio, California, New York, and Texas.

Election Results and Electoral Map

The Electoral College (United States) outcome awarded Richard Nixon a plurality of the electoral vote with victories across key states including California, Ohio, and Texas, while Hubert Humphrey carried states such as Minnesota and Massachusetts and won urban centers in the Northeast. George Wallace secured electoral votes in several Southern states including Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Georgia, demonstrating the continued salience of regional realignment traces to earlier contests like the 1948 United States presidential election. The popular vote was closely divided, with narrow margins in pivotal contests reminiscent of prior close elections such as 1876 United States presidential election and later compared to 2000 United States presidential election in discussions of electoral legitimacy. Media outlets including The New York Times and The Washington Post provided maps showing Nixon's coalition of suburban and Sun Belt voters versus Humphrey's urban and traditional Democratic strongholds.

Aftermath and Political Impact

Nixon's victory precipitated policy shifts affecting negotiations with North Vietnam and opened pathways toward détente initiatives later involving the Soviet Union and People's Republic of China, culminating in visits like the 1972 Nixon visit to China. Domestically, the election accelerated partisan realignment in the South and among white working-class voters, influencing future elections such as the 1972 United States presidential election and movements within the Republican Party that involved figures like Ronald Reagan and Barry Goldwater. The Democratic Party undertook reforms via the McGovern Commission to alter delegate selection and primary processes, affecting subsequent conventions like the 1972 Democratic National Convention. Civil rights advocacy groups including Southern Christian Leadership Conference and legal institutions such as the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice adjusted strategies in response to Wallace's appeal. Historians and political scientists referenced this election in analyses alongside works about realignment theory, studies by scholars like V.O. Key Jr. and Seymour Martin Lipset, and contemporary commentary in journals such as American Political Science Review and The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science.

Category:United States presidential elections