The AP® US Government exam will consider your understanding of the presidential elections as well as the way that you are able to interpret concepts related to each candidate. In the 1968 election, Republican Richard Nixon faced off against Democrat Hubert Humphrey. Humphrey had previously served as Vice President under Lyndon B Johnson, and was, therefore, something of an incumbent when considering the new election. Nixon had previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate but also as Vice President several years prior before running for the office of president.
Introduction to the 1968 Election
The 1968 election brought together Republican Richard Nixon and Democrat Hubert Humphrey. This election was somewhat of a sweep in regards to states, though not as much as the 1964 election before it. It also brought out a third party candidate who was able to garner a decent share of the vote, achieving a total of 46 electoral votes for himself. This candidate, George Wallace, ran as a member of the American Independent Party and achieved approximately 1/3 of the popular votes that each of the other two candidates received.
What Impacted the Vote
The Civil Rights movement was still a big issue during this election with a large part of the community rallying to end segregation completely and demolish the Jim Crow laws. The fighting and the many people still left on the opposite side, however, allowed for the splintering of the Democratic Party. George Wallace, a leader in the Dixiecrat movement, was able to take control of a large portion of the South and this greatly impacted the feelings of many, as did the assassination of MLK.
During this time period, the country was still in turmoil over the Vietnam War, which had started to become an even bigger issue for the country. The American people were tired of it and wanted to bring their men home. Nixon believed that he would be able to do this more quickly and more effectively and the people seemed to believe that it was possible. A change in leadership seemed like an efficient way to make sure that the change happened. Even still, things were a little rough when it came time to make the decision and the people weren’t entirely sure who they could get to carry them out.
The Republican Candidate
Having already served as a member of the Senate and the House of Representatives, Nixon had also served as the Vice President during the 1953-1961 election years under Dwight Eisenhower. These accomplishments definitely led to a following of many Americans when he chose to run for the office of President. During his Vice Presidency and beyond he managed to cement his stance as an anti-communist and this, during an age when communism was a fear, led to an increase in his overall bearing.
Though he had run for the presidency once previously, in 1960, he was defeated by John F. Kennedy and chose to wait for two cycles before choosing to run for the position again. This time, he was not only able to win the election, but was able to do so with a considerable margin of victory in regards to states and a decent margin in regards to the popular vote that he was able to accomplish in the process. A retired Navy Reserve member, he had been awarded two commendation medals and was viewed as a hardcore person who could bring change to the country.
Nixon on the Issues
Nixon was known for being anti-communist, but he was also extremely focused on other issues including desegregation and diplomatic relations. During his presidency he would come to visit China and end the war in Vietnam, both actions he promised during the campaign. He had once managed to convince the people that he was a decent, people-serving man and it seemed that this would carry over. Alongside his stance on crime and his appeal to the silent majority, Nixon was able to pull voters by droves.
He believed in building schools to help improve the country and wanted to focus more on this building than on the improvement of teacher salaries. With a view that the Soviets were still far behind the United States when it came to economics, he was not as concerned about communism, though he was actively against it. His ideal was to have all communists register with the government to announce themselves and wanted to decrease the unemployment rate by concentrating on areas that were already depressed. Even more, he believed that everyone should understand their own weaknesses to ensure they could be strong no matter what happened.
The Republican Convention
There were seven candidates for the presidency when it came time for this election, yet Nixon was able to beat out Michigan Governor George Romney as well as Ronald Reagan to achieve the nomination against the Democratic ticket. Nixon selected Maryland Governor Spiro Agnew as his running mate instead of selecting his previous running mate Henry Cabot Lodge Jr. or the recommended New York City Mayor, John Lindsay. He believed Spiro, being moderate and having a reputation of positive action in the wake of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. assassination would be a better choice for the people.
The Democratic Candidate
Humphrey had served in the Senate and is still known as one of the leading figures in their history. He was adamant on many issues and extremely vocal, though he lost support from a number of liberal Americans. He was able to win the nomination for his party only after Johnson chose to step down and revoke his own candidacy. It’s unlikely he would have been able to succeed in the nomination were it not for this fact. His policies were not always the most favorable for his party, yet he was always very steadfast in what he believed.
Humphrey on the Issues
Humphrey was all for the Vietnam War policy, as well as addressing the problems associated with Civil Rights and nuclear disarmament, not concerned that his views did not reflect with the present popular views of the time. Rather, he continued to vocalize what he believed in and this, likely, gained him more respect from some of those in his party and some who were otherwise outside of his party. His point that he would stop the bombing in Vietnam seemed to improve his electability among most of the population.
With a strong stance on Civil Rights, it’s likely that there was already a following for Humphrey, but his stance also in health insurance for the elderly and security in other ways for senior citizens seemed to aid him as well. Likewise he was vocal about opportunities for the youth of the nation, proposing a number of job training programs for those who were unemployed, an idea that is still used as a part of the War on Poverty. His view was that this war was an important one for the American people and that there must be more done to help those in need. As one method of doing just that he was able to push for Head Start programs for pre-school children, though the law was not passed during his time in the Senate.
The Democratic Convention
The American people had expected that the incumbent, Lyndon Johnson, would be nominated by the party to run in the general election, however after a loud-mouthed Eugene McCarthy came forward in opposition of the Vietnam War, Johnson’s political career suffered greatly. There were five candidates for the election, but upon Robert Kennedy’s assassination (the incoming favorite of the party), Johnson bowed out and endorsed Humphrey, thereby ending the contention and leading to a cohesive party again.
The Results of the 1968 Election
In the end, the votes came down to a close run with Republican Richard Nixon achieving a total of 31.8 million popular votes to approximately 31.2 million for Democrat Hubert Humphrey. Third party candidate George Wallace received 9.9 million. The electoral votes, however, told a slightly different story. Wallace walked away with only 46 votes, while Humphrey managed 191 and Nixon achieved 301. This was one of very few elections where a third party candidate was able to achieve even this high of a popular vote. In fact, his pro-segregation stance managed to earn him all the electoral votes of five states, a feat that has never since been achieved by a third party candidate.
With both of the main hopefuls having served as Vice President in the past, for many it may have been a difficult decision after seeing what each was capable of accomplishing. Even still, with the way the wars and the race riots were happening during the election process, Nixon ran on a promise to restore law and order. He was determined to fix the problems that were happening throughout the country and was able to make sure that the New Deal Coalition was demolished once and for all.
The Election of 1968 and the AP® US Government Exam
The exam is likely to consider the concepts behind the voting as well as each of the candidates. This was a big election for a number of reasons, one of the largest being that it considered the concept of segregation to a higher degree. The views of each of the candidates on segregation should definitely be considered as it did have a large impact on the voting that occurred, especially as it relates to George Wallace, the third party candidate who voted for it.
This exam is likely to consider not only that the overall state count went overwhelmingly to a Vice President, who was not the incumbent VP, but also that a third party candidate was able to achieve such a high number of electoral votes. This was the most recent election in which a third-party candidate was able to do so and especially within five separate states in the Southern portion of the state. This was nearly entirely based on the beliefs of his party related to segregation.
Remember, despite his overwhelming achievement for third party candidates, Richard Nixon was the winner of the election along with Vice President Spiro Agnew. With issues of the Vietnam War, Civil Rights and the assassinations of Robert Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King happening during the interim, the election was bound to arise contention. This resulted in the country voting for an individual that they believed could bring about change to the way the country was running and bring back those who had been sent to a war that most didn’t believe was worthwhile.
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