Election of 1968 An Election in the Midst of War and Civil Unrest Text Credit: 2003 Teacher Fellows Candidates: Richard M. Nixon, Republican (pictured), Hubert H. Humphrey, Democrat, and George Wallace, Independent Fun Fact | Historically Significant Elections Campaign Overview | Electoral Overview

CAMPAIGN OVERVIEW After President Lyndon B. Johnson announced his decision not to seek re-election, Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey declared his candidacy for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination. A primary battle followed, with Robert F. Kennedy leading at the time of his assassination. Humphrey received the presidential nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, where streets were filled with anti-war protesters clashing with local police. For the Republican Party, former Vice President and presidential nominee Richard M. Nixon held the leading spot. Alabama Governor George Wallace emerged as a third party candidate for the American Independent Party. In the News During the election of 1968 the war in Vietnam, the Civil Rights Movement, and domestic protests surrounding the two filled the headlines. 1968 saw the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy, former Attorney General in John F. Kennedy's administration and Democratic presidential candidate, and also predominant civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. Tactics/Strategy A return to law and order was a strategic theme of the 1968 election as domestic unrest spread across America. For the majority of his campaign, Hubert H. Humphrey distanced himself from President Johnson's decisions toward Vietnam (that sparked anti-war protests in cities and on college campuses.) Distanced from the current administration's involvement in Vietnam, Nixon maintained a lead over Humphrey for most of the campaign while promoting his plan for restoring peace in American streets. Wallace, with strong support from the Deep South, focused on a re-establishment of law and order at home. Platforms Nixon supported civil rights and committed himself to ending the conflict in Vietnam. Humphrey, while maintaining his long-time support of civil rights, pledged to cease U.S. involvement in Vietnam. Wallace, a known segregationist, ran against school busing, promised an American victory in Vietnam, and assured law and order in American cities. Slogans Republican candidate Richard Nixon posted, "Nixon's the One" on his campaign material. His opponent emblazoned his initials "HHH" (Hubert Horatio Humphrey) on campaign buttons. George Wallace produced campaign pins depicting a "Wall" and an "Ace" side by side.

ELECTORAL OVERVIEW Nixon began the campaign as the front runner, with a clear lead for the Republican Party. Toward the end of the campaign as Humphrey became more critical of Johnson's courses of action in Vietnam, Nixon's lead dropped. Just one week before the election, Johnson called a halt to the bombing in North Vietnam, a move that increased voter approval for Humphrey in the last days before the election. However, Nixon still managed to win with a 0.5% margin in the popular vote. In the Electoral College, Nixon won thirty-two states, Humphrey winning thirteen. Wallace won only five states, all of which were in the South. Electoral College Results Richard M. Nixon (Republican) 301 Hubert H. Humphrey (Democrat) 191 George Wallace (Independent) 46 Aftermath After assuming the presidency in 1969, Nixon began withdrawing American troops from Vietnam, while, at the same time, escalating bombing in the neighboring areas of Laos and Cambodia. In 1969, American forces in Vietnam numbered 543,000; in 1969, forces were reduced to 340,000; in 1971, 177,000; in 1972, 25,000. On April 30, 1970 under Nixon's orders American and South Vietnamese forces invaded Cambodia; in conjunction, Nixon called for 150,000 more soldiers to support this expansion of the Vietnam War effort. This led to inflamed reactions at home, notably the student protest that broke out at Kent State University in Ohio where National Guardsmen killed four students and wounded nine others. In 1973 all American troops were finally withdrawn from Vietnam, leaving only military personnel behind. In 1975, when Gerald Ford was in the White House, North Vietnamese troops took the American Embassy in Saigon, officially ending the conflict.