Election of ‘68

1. Election of ‘68 Megan McIntyre Amy Busch

2. Johnson Decides Not to Run • Due to heavy American casualties in Vietnam and protests at home, opposition grew. • Johnson’s unpopular Americanization policy in the Vietnam war did not please Americans at home. • For these reasons, Johnson decided not to run for re-election

3. Democratic Representative Instead, his vice president Hubert Humphrey ran for the Democratic party. Humphrey was to run for Democratic representative against Robert Kennedy, but Kennedy was assassinated in June. Therefore Humphrey becomes the candidate.

4. Assassination of R. Kennedy Killed during celebrations of his successful campaign in California by Sirhan Sirhan Sirhan Sirhan later claimed that he had no memory of the incident, and it is believed that he was brainwashed.

5. Republicans Make a Choice • The Republicans chose Richard Nixon as their candidate for the 1968 election. • Nixon formerly ran for president in the 1960 election, but narrowly lost against John F. Kennedy. • Nixon boasted a secret plan to end the Vietnam war.

6. “Secret Plan” During his campaign for election, President Nixon boasted his “Secret Plan” for ending American involvement in the Vietnam War. ?

7. Independent Nominee George Wallace was the former Governor of Alabama for four terms Wallace ran for president four times, and lost each time He was the most “influential loser” in the twentieth century politics His campaign supported segregation during the desegregation period

8. The Nominees • Hubert Humphrey - Democratic • Home state = Minnesota • Running mate =Edmund Muskie • Richard Nixon – Republican • Home state = California • Running mate = Spiro Agnew • George Wallace – Independent • Home state = Alabama • Running mate = Curtis LeMay

9. Results of the ‘68 elections

10. Statistics • Electoral Votes • Nixon – 301 • Humphrey – 191 • Wallace - 46 • Percentage • Nixon – 43.4% • Humphrey – 42.7% • Wallace – 13.5% • States Carried • Nixon – 32 • Humphrey – 13 + D.C. • Wallace - 5

11. Nixon Wins the Election! Nixon, the Republican representative, won the election with a slight percentage lead over Hubert Humphrey. “It is necessary for me to establish a winner image. Therefore, I have to beat somebody.”

12. Nixon’s Resignation Nixon was re-elected in 1972, but resigned two years later due to the Watergate incident. He was the first president to ever resign. Vice President Gerald R. Ford of Michigan then took over the presidency for the remaining two and a half years of his term.