Richard Nixon

The Election of 1968

Early ticket: Robert F. Kennedy (Dem) vs. Richard M. Nixon (Rep.)

June 1968 RFK was leaving a ballroom in L.A. when Sirhan Sirhan shot RFK due to his support of Israel

New Candidates

Hubert Humphrey (Dem) vs. Richard Nixon (Rep)

Third Party Candidate

Independent Party’s George Wallaceformer governor of Alabama

Platform: anti-desegregation issues, respect for law and order, and freedom from excessive federal control

The Results

Rep. Nixon (43.3% and 301 electoral votes) defeated Dem. Humphrey (42.7% and 191 electoral votes) or by about 500,000 votes

George Wallace received (13.5% and 46 electoral votes)

Third Party impact: Wallace took voters from each candidate and impacted the results

Nixon refused to debate in 1968 due to his defeat in his T.V. debate with JFK in 1960

Summation on the Election of 1968

What do the results of the election tell you about the state of America in 1968?

Why did George Wallace receive support as a third party candidate?

Nixon’s Domestic Changes

Nixon represented the “silent majority” or Middle Americans, men and women who worked in America’s factories, businesses, gov’t, and provided most of the U.S. soldiers

Nixon reduced gov’t power, but continued to provide programs for Americans

“New Federalism”—Nixon returned power back to states; federal and state gov’ts worked together to fund social programs

Summary Questions: Nixon Expands the Government

Being a Republican, one would expect Nixon to reduce government spending

What was the focus of the majority of Nixon’s programs that he created?

Write a summary sentence explaining the goal of his programs.

Election of 1972

Nixon beats George McGovern in largest Republican landslide in history

Won 60% of vote to only 37% for McGovern

Prior to the November election, Nixon removed the last American ground combat troops in Vietnam in August