Few elections in American history carried the level of chaos, tragedy, and uncertainty as the election of 1968. With assassinations shaking the nation, a divisive war raging abroad, and civil unrest exploding at home, the political landscape was transformed almost overnight. Against this backdrop, Richard Nixon made an unlikely comeback, George Wallace sought to fracture the South, and the Democrats struggled to hold themselves together after Lyndon B. Johnson bowed out of the race.
LBJ’s Presidency
After his 1964 landslide over Barry Goldwater, President Lyndon B. Johnson appeared unassailable. He ushered in landmark domestic achievements, including Medicare and Medicaid, expanded education programs, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. These reforms, branded as part of his “Great Society” and “War on Poverty,” sought to eradicate poverty and racial discrimination.
Yet Johnson’s sweeping civil rights measures fractured his party. Many Southern Democrats, alienated by federal civil rights legislation, began drifting toward the Republican Party — a long-term realignment that would reshape American politics. The 1966 midterm elections revealed the first cracks in the Democratic coalition.
The breaking point came on April 4, 1968, when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated in Memphis. His death unleashed waves of grief and fury, sparking riots across the country and exposing the fragile state of America’s race relations.
The Vietnam War
While Johnson’s domestic policies were historic, it was Vietnam that defined his presidency. After pledging not to escalate the war in 1964, Johnson oversaw a massive troop build-up. The Tet Offensive in January 1968 stunned the public. Although U.S. forces repelled the attacks, the sheer scale of the offensive contradicted official claims of progress, turning many Americans against the war.
Anti-war protests surged, with students burning draft cards and crowds chanting outside the White House: “Hey, Hey, LBJ…How many kids did you kill today?” Facing rising casualties, public outrage, and declining health, Johnson stunned the nation on March 31, 1968, by announcing he would not seek re-election.
Who Will Be the Nominee (Part 1)
Johnson’s withdrawal created a vacuum. Senator Eugene McCarthy of Minnesota, the anti-war insurgent, had already proven Johnson’s vulnerability in New Hampshire. Shortly after, Senator Robert F. Kennedy of New York entered the race, energizing minority voters and young Americans.
But tragedy struck again. After winning the California primary in June, Kennedy was assassinated in Los Angeles. His death not only robbed Democrats of their most charismatic candidate but also deepened the party’s divisions.
With Kennedy gone, Vice President Hubert Humphrey entered the race as the establishment favourite, while Senator George McGovern of South Dakota sought to carry Kennedy’s banner for the anti-war movement.
The Democratic National Convention
The Democratic Convention in Chicago became a symbol of 1968’s turmoil. Inside the convention hall, chaos erupted as delegates clashed over Vietnam. Outside, thousands of protesters gathered, chanting “The whole world is watching!” as Mayor Richard J. Daley’s police force brutally cracked down. Televised images of tear gas, batons, and chaos tarnished the Democratic brand.
Humphrey secured the nomination with Edmund Muskie as his running mate, but the violent spectacle in Chicago and his ties to Johnson left him limping into the general election.
Who Will Be the Nominee (Part 2)
The Republican Convention presented a stark contrast. After years in the political wilderness, Richard Nixon returned, promising “law and order” at home and a secret plan to end the Vietnam War. Despite challenges from Nelson Rockefeller, Ronald Reagan, and George Romney, Nixon secured the nomination and selected Maryland Governor Spiro Agnew as his running mate.
The GOP convention was not without protests, but compared to Chicago, it looked disciplined and united. Nixon positioned himself as the candidate of stability amid chaos.
George Wallace Enters the Race
Complicating the race further, former Alabama Governor George Wallace launched a third-party campaign under the American Independent Party banner. Running on segregationist themes and appeals to disaffected white voters, Wallace aimed to win enough Southern states to deny either major candidate an Electoral College majority.
Wallace selected retired Air Force general Curtis LeMay as his running mate, a choice that backfired after LeMay openly suggested using nuclear weapons in Vietnam.
The Campaigns & Polling Data
By August, Nixon led comfortably with around 45% support, while Humphrey trailed badly and Wallace carved into the South with nearly 20%. Nixon’s message of restoring order and his “Southern Strategy” resonated with many white voters uneasy with civil rights and urban unrest.
Humphrey struggled to distance himself from Johnson’s war policies. Only after a pivotal speech in Salt Lake City, where he broke from LBJ by calling for a bombing halt, did Humphrey begin closing the gap.
Vietnam Peace Talks
Peace talks in Paris offered a glimmer of hope, but Nixon’s campaign secretly intervened. His aides encouraged South Vietnam to stall negotiations, promising they would get a better deal under a Nixon presidency. This interference, later dubbed “the Chennault Affair,” undercut Johnson’s efforts and likely influenced the election’s outcome.
The Results
On November 5, 1968, Richard Nixon was elected the 37th President of the United States. He captured 301 electoral votes, defeating Humphrey’s 191. The popular vote was razor-thin: Nixon won 43.4% to Humphrey’s 42.7%. Wallace carried five Southern states, earning 46 electoral votes — the strongest third-party showing since Theodore Roosevelt in 1912.
The election of 1968 underscored a nation in crisis: divided over war, race, and culture. It marked the last time a major nominee won without competing in primaries, and it set the stage for the conservative realignment of American politics.
Outro: A Year of Upheaval
The election of 1968 was a turning point in American politics — a year marked by assassinations, riots, and a war that split the nation. Richard Nixon’s narrow victory came not from a surge of enthusiasm but from a weary electorate looking for stability after months of turmoil. It was a stark contrast to the landslide triumph of Lyndon Johnson just four years earlier in 1964, showing how quickly the political climate could shift.
