1968 United States presidential election

==Democratic Party nomination==
{{Main|1968 Democratic Party presidential primaries}}

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; text-align:center;"
|-
| style="background:#f1f1f1;" colspan="30"|[[File:Democratic Disc.svg|65px|center|link=Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party (United States)]]<big> '''1968 Democratic Party ticket'''</big>
|-
! style="width:3em; font-size:135%; background:#3333FF; width:200px;"| [[Hubert Humphrey|{{color|white|Hubert Humphrey}}]]
! style="width:3em; font-size:135%; background:#3333FF; width:200px;"| [[Edmund Muskie|{{color|white|Edmund Muskie}}]]
|- style="color:#000; font-size:100%; background:#c8ebff;"
| style="width:3em; width:200px;"|'''''for President'''''
| style="width:3em; width:200px;"|'''''for Vice President'''''
|-
| [[File:Senator Hubert Humphrey at the Capitol (cropped).jpg|center|206x206px]]
| [[File:Edmund Muskie (D-ME) (croppedmore).jpg|center|200x200px]]
|-
| [[List of vice presidents of the United States|38th]]<br />[[Vice President of the United States]]<br /><small>(1965–1969)</small>
| [[United States Senate|U.S. Senator]]<br />from [[Maine]]<br /><small>(1959–1980)</small>
|-
| colspan=2 |[[Hubert Humphrey 1968 presidential campaign|'''Campaign''']]
|-
| colspan=2 |[[File:Humphrey Muskie '64.svg|200x200px]]
|-
|}


=== Other major candidates ===

The following candidates were frequently interviewed by major broadcast networks, were listed in publicly published national polls, or ran a campaign that extended beyond their home delegation in the case of [[favorite son]]s.

Humphrey received 166,463 votes in the primaries.

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%"
|- <sup>†</sup>
| colspan="9" style="text-align:center; width:1000px; font-size:120%; color:white; background:{{party color|Democratic Party (United States)}};"|''Candidates in this section are sorted by date of withdrawal from the nomination race''
|-
! scope="col" style="width:3em; font-size:120%;"|[[Eugene McCarthy]]
! scope="col" style="width:3em; font-size:120%;"|[[George McGovern]]
! scope="col" style="width:3em; font-size:120%;"|[[Channing E. Phillips]]
! scope="col" style="width:3em; font-size:120%;"|[[Lester Maddox]]
! scope="col" style="width:3em; font-size:120%;"|[[Robert F. Kennedy]]
! scope="col" style="width:3em; font-size:120%;"|[[Lyndon B. Johnson]]
|-
|[[File:1964 Portrait Eugene McCarthy (cropped).jpg|center|120x120px]]
|[[File:George McGovern (D-SD) (3x4-1).jpg|center|120x120px]]
|[[File:Channing Phillips at his desk at the NEH.jpg|center|120x120px]]
|[[File:Lester Maddox.jpg|center|120x120px]]
|[[File:Robert F Kennedy crop.jpg|center|120x120px]]
|[[File:Lbj2 (cropped).jpg|center|125x125px]]
|- style="text-align:center"
|U.S. senator from [[Minnesota]]<br /><small>(1959–1971)</small>
|U.S. senator from [[South Dakota]]<br /><small>(1963–1981)</small>
|Reverend at [[Lincoln Temple United Church of Christ|Lincoln Temple]]<br />from [[Washington, D.C.]]
|Governor of [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]]<br /><small>(1967–1971)</small>
|U.S. senator from [[New York (state)|New York]]<br /><small>(1965–1968)</small>
|36th <br /> [[President of the United States]]<br /><small>(1963–1969)</small>
|- style="text-align:center"
|[[Eugene McCarthy 1968 presidential campaign|Campaign]]
|[[George McGovern#1968 presidential and Senate campaigns|Campaign]]
|[[Channing E. Phillips|Campaign]]
|
|[[Robert F. Kennedy 1968 presidential campaign|Campaign]]
|[[Hubert Humphrey 1968 presidential campaign#Lyndon Johnson campaign|Campaign]]
|- style="text-align:center"
|''Lost nomination: August 29, 1968''<br /><small>'''2,914,933''' votes</small>
|''Lost nomination: August 29, 1968''<br /><small>0 votes</small>
|''Lost nomination: August 29, 1968''<br /><small>0 votes</small>
|''Withdrew and endorsed George Wallace: August 28, 1968''<br /><small>0 votes</small>
|''[[Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy|Assassinated]]: June 5, 1968''<br /><small>'''2,305,148''' votes</small>
|''Withdrew: March 31, 1968''<br /><small>'''383,590''' votes</small>
|-
|}

===Enter Eugene McCarthy===

Because Lyndon B. Johnson had been elected to the presidency only once, in 1964, and had served less than two full years of the term before that, the [[22nd Amendment]] did not disqualify him from running for another term.<ref>{{cite news|title=Johnson Can Seek Two Full Terms|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=November 24, 1963|page=A2}}</ref> As a result, it was widely assumed when 1968 began that President Johnson would run for another term, and that he would have little trouble winning the Democratic nomination.

Despite growing opposition to Johnson's policies in Vietnam, it appeared that no prominent Democratic candidate would run against a sitting president of his own party. It was also accepted at the beginning of the year that Johnson's record of domestic accomplishments would overshadow public opposition to the Vietnam War and that he would easily boost his public image after he started campaigning.<ref name=johnman1967>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,712057,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090714101545/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,712057,00.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 14, 2009|title=Man Of The Year: Lyndon B. Johnson, The Paradox of Power|magazine=Time Magazine|date=January 5, 1968|access-date=June 22, 2013}}</ref> Even Senator [[Robert F. Kennedy]] from New York, an outspoken critic of Johnson's policies, with a large base of support, publicly declined to run against Johnson in the primaries. Poll numbers also suggested that a large share of Americans who opposed the Vietnam War felt the growth of the anti-war [[hippie movement]] among younger Americans and violent unrest on college campuses
was not helping their cause.<ref name=johnman1967 /> On January 30, however, claims by the Johnson administration that a recent troop surge would soon bring an end to the war were severely discredited when the [[Tet Offensive]] broke out. Although the American military was eventually able to fend off the attacks, and also inflict heavy losses among the communist opposition, the ability of the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong to launch large scale attacks during the Tet Offensive's long duration greatly weakened American support for the military draft and further combat operations in Vietnam.<ref name=tetl>{{cite web|url=http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/tet-offensive-shakes-cold-war-confidence|title=Jan 30, 1968: Tet Offensive shakes Cold War confidence|publisher =History.com:This Day In History|access-date=June 22, 2013}}</ref> A recorded phone conversation which Johnson had with Chicago mayor [[Richard J. Daley]] on January 27 revealed that both men had become aware of Kennedy's private intention to enter the Democratic presidential primaries and that Johnson was willing to accept Daley's offer to run as Humphrey's vice presidential running mate if he were to end his re-election campaign.<ref name=jan27 /> Daley, whose city would host the [[1968 Democratic National Convention protest activity|1968 Democratic National Convention]], also preferred either Johnson or Humphrey over any other candidate, and stated that Kennedy had met him the week before, and that he was unsuccessful in his attempt to win over Daley's support.<ref name=jan27>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tc0wT9P7nc |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/0tc0wT9P7nc| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live|title=LBJ and Richard Daley, 1/27/68, 10.58A.|via=www.youtube.com}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

In time, only Senator [[Eugene McCarthy]] from Minnesota proved willing to challenge Johnson openly. Running as an anti-war candidate in the [[New Hampshire primary]], McCarthy hoped to pressure the Democrats into publicly opposing the Vietnam War. Since New Hampshire was the first presidential primary of 1968, McCarthy poured most of his limited resources into the state. He was boosted by thousands of young college students, led by youth coordinator [[Sam Brown (activist)|Sam Brown]],<ref>[https://archive.today/20120714020341/http://openvault.wgbh.org/catalog/org.wgbh.mla:df96b4fbdd72ece621c2511b70c51217025f3845 Sam Brown discussing his involvement in the "Clean for Gene" campaign.] WGBH Open Vault. Retrieved July 20, 2010.</ref> who shaved their beards and cut their hair to be "Clean for Gene". These students organized get-out-the-vote drives, rang doorbells, distributed McCarthy buttons and leaflets, and worked hard in New Hampshire for McCarthy. On March 12, McCarthy won 42 percent of the primary vote, to Johnson's 49 percent, a shockingly strong showing against an incumbent president, which was even more impressive because Johnson had more than 24 supporters running for the Democratic National Convention delegate slots to be filled in the election, while McCarthy's campaign organized more strategically. McCarthy won 20 of the 24 delegates. This gave McCarthy's campaign legitimacy and momentum. Sensing Johnson's vulnerability, Senator Robert F. Kennedy announced his candidacy four days after the New Hampshire primary on March 16. Thereafter, McCarthy and Kennedy engaged in a series of state primaries.

==={{anchor|Johnson withdraws}}Johnson withdraws===

On March 31, 1968, following the New Hampshire primary and Kennedy's entry into the election, the president made a televised speech to the nation and said that he was suspending all bombing of North Vietnam in favor of peace talks. After concluding his speech, Johnson announced,
<blockquote>"With America's sons in the fields far away, with America's future under challenge right here at home, with our hopes and the world's hopes for peace in the balance every day, I do not believe that I should devote an hour or a day of my time to any personal partisan causes or to any duties, other than the awesome duties of this office — the presidency of your country. Accordingly, [[Shermanesque statement|I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your President]]."</blockquote>

Not discussed publicly at the time was Johnson's concern that he might not survive another term — Johnson's health was poor, and he had already suffered a serious [[myocardial infarction|heart attack]] in 1955.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.npr.org/2018/03/25/596805375/president-johnson-made-a-bombshell-announcement-50-years-ago|title=Remembering 1968: LBJ Surprises Nation With Announcement He Won't Seek Re-Election|first=Ron|last=Elving|website=NPR.org|date=March 25, 2018}}</ref> He died on January 22, 1973, two days after the end of the new presidential term. Bleak political forecasts also contributed to Johnson's withdrawal; internal polling by Johnson's campaign in Wisconsin, the next state to hold a primary election, showed the President trailing badly.<ref>{{Cite magazine|url=https://time.com/5682760/incumbent-presidents-primary-challenges/|title=Could Trump Lose the Republican Nomination? Here's the History of Primary Challenges to Incumbent Presidents|magazine=Time}}</ref>
[[File:President Lyndon B. Johnson speech re bombing halt and decision not to run for re-election - NARA - 192620.tif|thumb|left|President Lyndon B. Johnson delivers a speech on March 31, announcing he will not run for re-election]]
Historians have debated why Johnson quit a few days after his weak showing in New Hampshire. [[Jeff Shesol]] says Johnson wanted out of the White House, but also wanted vindication; when the indicators turned negative, he decided to leave.<ref>{{cite book|author=Jeff Shesol|title=Mutual Contempt: Lyndon Johnson, Robert Kennedy, and the Feud that Defined a Decade|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bVrRvYV7i78C&pg=PA545|year=1998|publisher=W W Norton |pages=545–47|isbn=978-0-393-31855-5}}</ref> Lewis L. Gould says that Johnson had neglected the Democratic party, was hurting it by his Vietnam policies, and under-estimated McCarthy's strength until the last minute, when it was too late for Johnson to recover.<ref>{{cite book|author=Lewis L. Gould|title=1968: The Election That Changed America|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0yPdDZsjjJ4C&pg=PA16|year=2010|publisher=Government Institutes|pages=16–18|isbn=978-1-56663-910-1}}</ref> Randall Bennett Woods said Johnson realized he needed to leave, in order for the nation to heal.<ref>{{cite book|author=Randall Bennett Woods|title=LBJ: architect of American ambition|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Sb8W_Ba3jkkC&pg=PA834|year=2007|publisher=Harvard University Press|pages=834–35|isbn=978-0-674-02699-5}}</ref> [[Robert Dallek]] writes that Johnson had no further domestic goals, and realized that his personality had eroded his popularity. His health was poor, and he was pre-occupied with the Kennedy campaign; his wife was pressing for his retirement, and his base of support continued to shrink. Leaving the race would allow him to pose as a peace-maker.<ref>{{cite book|author=Robert Dallek|title=Flawed Giant:Lyndon Johnson and His Times, 1961–1973|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G_J3PEegwdYC&pg=PA524|year=1998|publisher=Oxford University Press|pages=518–25|isbn=978-0-19-982670-4}}</ref> Anthony J. Bennett, however, said Johnson "had been forced out of a re-election race in 1968 by outrage over his policy in Southeast Asia".<ref>{{cite book|author=Anthony J. Bennett|title=The Race for the White House from Reagan to Clinton: Reforming Old Systems, Building New Coalitions|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XH4Os4Cjr-cC&pg=PT160|year=2013|publisher=Palgrave Macmillan|page=160|isbn=978-1-137-26860-0}}</ref>

In 2009, an AP reporter said that Johnson decided to end his re-election bid after CBS News anchor [[Walter Cronkite]], who was influential, turned against the president's policy in Vietnam. During a CBS News editorial which aired on February 27, Cronkite recommended the US pursue peace negotiations.<ref name="Moore">{{cite news
|last=Moore
|first=Frazier
|title=Legendary CBS anchor Walter Cronkite dies at 92
|agency=Associated Press
|publisher=GMA News
|date=July 18, 2009
|url=http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/167649/news/world/legendary-cbs-anchor-walter-cronkite-dies-at-92
|access-date=June 22, 2013
|archive-date=April 25, 2022
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220425034355/https://www.gmanetwork.com/news/story/167649/news/world/legendary-cbs-anchor-walter-cronkite-dies-at-92/
|url-status=dead
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Broadcast News|url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/97/01/26/reviews/970126.26wickert.html|work=The New York Times|author=Wicker, Tom|date=January 26, 1997|access-date=June 22, 2013}}</ref> After watching Cronkite's editorial, Johnson allegedly exclaimed: "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost Middle America."<ref name="Moore" /> This quote by Johnson has been disputed for accuracy.<ref name=uoooav>{{cite news|first=W. Joseph|last=Campbell|title=Chris Matthews invokes the 'if I've lost Cronkite' myth in NYT review|date= July 9, 2012|url= http://mediamythalert.wordpress.com/2012/07/09/chris-matthews-invokes-if-ive-lost-cronkite-media-myth-in-nyt-review/| access-date=June 22, 2013}}</ref> Johnson was attending Texas Governor John Connally's birthday gala in Austin, Texas, when Cronkite's editorial aired and did not see the original broadcast.<ref name=uoooav /> But, Cronkite and CBS News correspondent [[Bob Schieffer]] defended reports that the remark had been made. They said that members of Johnson's inner circle, who had watched the editorial with the president, including presidential aide [[George Christian (journalist)|George Christian]] and journalist [[Bill Moyers]], later confirmed the accuracy of the quote to them.<ref>{{cite book|title=A Reporter's Life|author=Walter Cronkite|page=256|publisher=Ballantine Books|year=1996|isbn=978-0-394-57879-8}}</ref><ref name=schieffcron>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KH5iToNJhzcC&q=johnson+eventually+saw+cronkite+broadcast&pg=PT84|title=This Just In: What I Couldn't Tell You on TV|author=Bob Schieffer |date=January 6, 2004|publisher=Putnam Pub Group|isbn=978-0-399-14971-9|access-date=June 8, 2013}}</ref> Schieffer, who was a reporter for the ''[[Star-Telegram]]'''s [[WBAP-TV|WBAP]] television station in Fort Worth, Texas, when Cronkite's editorial aired, acknowledged reports that the president saw the editorial's original broadcast were inaccurate,<ref name=schieffcron /> but claimed the president was able to watch a taping of it the morning after it aired and then made the remark.<ref name=schieffcron /> However, Johnson's January 27, 1968, phone conversion with Chicago Mayor [[Richard J. Daley]] revealed that the two were trying to feed Robert Kennedy's ego so he would stay in the race, convincing him that the Democratic Party was undergoing a "revolution".<ref name=jan27 /> They suggested he might earn a spot as vice president.<ref name=jan27 />

After Johnson's withdrawal, the Democratic Party quickly split into four factions.
* The first faction consisted of labor unions and big-city party bosses (led by Mayor [[Richard J. Daley]]). This group had traditionally controlled the Democratic Party since the days of President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]], and they feared loss of their control over the party. After Johnson's withdrawal this group rallied to support Hubert Humphrey, Johnson's vice-president; it was also believed that President Johnson himself was covertly supporting Humphrey, despite his public claims of neutrality.
* The second faction, which rallied behind Senator Eugene McCarthy, was composed of college students, intellectuals, and upper-middle-class urban whites who had been the early activists against the war in Vietnam; they perceived themselves as the future of the Democratic Party.
* The third group was primarily composed of African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and other minorities, as well as several anti-war groups; these groups rallied behind Senator Robert F. Kennedy.
* The fourth group consisted of white Southern Democrats. Some older voters, remembering the [[New Deal]]'s positive impact upon the rural South, supported Vice-president Humphrey. Many would rally behind the third-party campaign of former Alabama Governor [[George Wallace]] as a "law and order" candidate.

Since the Vietnam War had become the major issue that was dividing the Democratic Party, and Johnson had come to symbolize the war for many liberal Democrats, Johnson believed that he could not win the nomination without a major struggle, and that he would probably lose the election in November to the Republicans. However, by withdrawing from the race, he could avoid the stigma of defeat, and he could keep control of the party machinery by giving the nomination to Humphrey, who had been a loyal vice-president.<ref>Dallek (1998); Woods (2006); Gould (1993).</ref> Milne (2011) argues that, in terms of foreign-policy in the Vietnam War, Johnson at the end wanted Nixon to be president rather than Humphrey, since Johnson agreed with Nixon, rather than Humphrey, on the need to defend South Vietnam from communism.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = David | year = 1968 | title = Paris peace negotiations: a two level game? | journal = Review of International Studies | volume = 37 | issue = 2| pages = 577–599 }}</ref> However, Johnson's telephone calls show that Johnson believed the Nixon camp was deliberately sabotaging the [[Paris Peace Accords|Paris peace talks]]. He told Humphrey, who refused to use allegations based on illegal wiretaps of a presidential candidate. Nixon himself called Johnson and denied the allegations. Dallek concludes that Nixon's advice to Saigon made no difference, and that Humphrey was so closely identified with Johnson's unpopular policies that no last-minute deal with Hanoi could have affected the election.<ref>Robert Dallek, ''Nixon and Kissinger'' (2009) p 77</ref>

===Contest===

[[File:1968DemocraticPresidentialPrimaries.png|thumb|400px|Statewide contest by winner: Red = Kennedy, Orange = Smathers, Yellow = Young, Green = Johnson, Blue = McCarthy, Grey = No primary
{{legend|Red|[[Robert Kennedy]]|border=1px #AAAAAA solid}}
{{legend|Orange|[[George Smathers]]|border=1px #AAAAAA solid}}
{{legend|Yellow|[[Stephen M. Young|Stephen Young]]|border=1px #AAAAAA solid}}
{{legend|Lime|[[Lyndon Johnson]]|border=1px #AAAAAA solid}}
{{legend|Blue|[[Eugene McCarthy]]|border=1px #AAAAAA solid}}
{{legend|Grey|No primary|border=1px #AAAAAA solid}}]]
After Johnson's withdrawal, [[Vice President of the United States|Vice President]] Hubert Humphrey announced his candidacy. Kennedy was successful in four state primaries (Indiana, Nebraska, South Dakota, and California), and McCarthy won six (Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Oregon, New Jersey, and Illinois). However, in primaries where they campaigned directly against one another, Kennedy won four primaries (Indiana, Nebraska, South Dakota, and California), and McCarthy won only one (Oregon).<ref>{{cite book |last= Cook |first= Rhodes |title=United States Presidential Primary Elections 1968–1996: A Handbook of Election Statistics |publisher=CQ Press |year=2000 |location= Washington, D. C. |pages=12–13 |isbn= 978-1-56802-451-6}}</ref> Humphrey did not compete in the primaries, leaving that job to [[favorite son]]s who were his surrogates, notably [[United States Senate|United States Senator]] [[George A. Smathers]] from [[Florida]], [[United States Senate|United States Senator]] [[Stephen M. Young]] from [[Ohio]], and [[Governor of Indiana|Governor]] [[Roger D. Branigin]] of [[Indiana]]. Instead, Humphrey concentrated on winning the delegates in non-primary states, where party leaders such as [[Mayor of Chicago|Chicago Mayor]] [[Richard J. Daley]] controlled the delegate votes in their states. Kennedy defeated Branigin and McCarthy in the Indiana primary on May 7, and then defeated McCarthy in the Nebraska primary on May 14. However, McCarthy upset Kennedy in the Oregon primary on May 28.

After Kennedy's defeat in Oregon, the California primary was seen as crucial to both Kennedy and McCarthy. McCarthy stumped the state's many colleges and universities, where he was treated as a hero for being the first presidential candidate to oppose the war. Kennedy campaigned in the [[ghetto]]s and [[barrio]]s of the state's larger cities, where he was mobbed by enthusiastic supporters. Kennedy and McCarthy engaged in a television debate a few days before the primary; it was generally considered a draw. On June 4, Kennedy narrowly defeated McCarthy in California, 46%–42%. However, McCarthy refused to withdraw from the race, and made it clear that he would contest Kennedy in the upcoming New York primary on June 18, where McCarthy had much support from anti-war activists. After giving his victory speech at the [[Ambassador Hotel (Los Angeles)|Ambassador Hotel]] in Los Angeles, [[Robert F. Kennedy assassination|Kennedy was assassinated]] in the kitchen service pantry in the early morning of June 5. [[Sirhan Sirhan]], a 24-year-old [[Palestinians in Jordan|Palestinian-born Jordanian]], was arrested. Kennedy died 26 hours later at [[Good Samaritan Hospital (Los Angeles)|Good Samaritan Hospital]]. Sirhan admitted his guilt, was convicted of murder, and is still in prison.<ref>{{cite book|author1=Abbe A. Debolt|author2=James S. Baugess|title=Encyclopedia of the Sixties: A Decade of Culture and Counterculture|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=r4WFjKG6vmUC&pg=PA607|year=2011|publisher=ABC-CLIO|page=607|isbn=978-1-4408-0102-0}}</ref> In recent years some have cast doubt on Sirhan's guilt, including Sirhan himself, who said he was "brainwashed" into killing Kennedy and was a [[patsy]].<ref>{{cite web |date=November 27, 2011 |title=Sirhan Sirhan Seeks Release Or New Trial – TalkLeft: The Politics Of Crime |url=http://www.talkleft.com/story/2011/11/27/0264/0835 |access-date=August 25, 2015 |publisher=TalkLeft}}<br />{{cite web |date=August 2, 2015 |title=Top stories from Canada and around the world &#124;MSN Headlines |url=http://news.ca.msn.com/top-stories/msnbc-article.aspx?cp-documentid=27840480 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502033712/http://news.ca.msn.com/top-stories/msnbc-article.aspx?cp-documentid=27840480 |archive-date=May 2, 2014 |access-date=August 25, 2015 |publisher=News.ca.msn.com}}<br />{{cite web |last=Greenhill |first=Abby |date=November 28, 2011 |title=Sirhan Sirhan Says He Didn't Kill Bobby Kennedy in 1968 – Gather.com : Gather.com |url=http://news.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474980828676 |access-date=August 25, 2015 |publisher=News.gather.com}}<br />[http://www.phillyimc.org/en/sirhan-sirhan-his-own-words] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140502022206/http://www.phillyimc.org/en/sirhan-sirhan-his-own-words|date=May 2, 2014}}</ref>
[[File:SWPC-RFK-C004-003.jpg|thumb|200px|Kennedy campaigning in Los Angeles (photo courtesy of ''John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum'', Boston)]]

Political historians still debate whether Kennedy could have won the Democratic nomination, had he lived. Some historians, such as [[Theodore H. White]] and [[Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.]], have argued that Kennedy's broad appeal and famed charisma would have convinced the party bosses at the Democratic Convention to give him the nomination.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Schlesinger Jr. |first1=Arthur M. |title=Robert Kennedy and His Times |date=1978 |page=xvi}}</ref> Jack Newfield, author of ''RFK: A Memoir'', stated in a 1998 interview that on the night he was assassinated, "[Kennedy] had a phone conversation with Mayor Daley of Chicago, and Mayor Daley all but promised to throw the Illinois delegates to Bobby at the convention in August 1968. I think he said to me, and [[Pete Hamill]]: 'Daley is the ball game, and I think we have Daley.{{'"}}<ref>Jack Newfield, interview with Terry Gross, ''[[Fresh Air]] from WHYY'', National Public Radio, WHYY, Philadelphia, June 4, 1998. [https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=91151292 Excerpt] rebroadcast on June 4, 2008.</ref> However, other writers such as [[Tom Wicker]], who covered the Kennedy campaign for ''[[The New York Times]]'', believe that Humphrey's large lead in delegate votes from non-primary states, combined with Senator McCarthy's refusal to quit the race, would have prevented Kennedy from ever winning a majority at the Democratic Convention, and that Humphrey would have been the Democratic nominee, even if Kennedy had lived.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Wicker |first1=Tom |title=In The Nation; Go Slow, Mike Mansfield |agency=The New York Times |date=June 16, 1968}}</ref> The journalist [[Richard Reeves (American writer)|Richard Reeves]] and historian [[Michael Beschloss]] have both written that Humphrey was the likely nominee,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Beschloss |first1=Michael |title=Opinion: Let's Have Conventions With Cliffhangers |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/08/11/opinion/let-s-have-conventions-with-cliffhangers.html |agency=The New York Times |date=August 11, 1996}}</ref> and future Democratic National Committee chairman [[Larry O'Brien]] wrote in his memoirs that Kennedy's chances of winning the nomination had been slim, even after his win in California.<ref>{{cite book |last1=O'Brien |first1=Lawrence F. |title=No Final Victories: A Life in Politics - from John F. Kennedy to Watergate |date=1974 |publisher=Doubleday}}</ref>

At the moment of RFK's death, the delegate totals were:
* Hubert Humphrey – 561
* Robert F. Kennedy – 393
* Eugene McCarthy – 258

Total popular vote:<ref>{{Cite book |title=Guide to U.S. Elections |publisher=[[CQ Press]] |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-60426-536-1 |editor-last=Kalb |editor-first=Deborah |location=Washington, DC |pages=411}}</ref>
{{col-begin}}
{{col-break|width=50%}}
* [[Eugene McCarthy]]: 2,914,933 (38.7%)
* [[Robert F. Kennedy]]: 2,304,542 (30.6%)
* [[Stephen M. Young]]: 549,140 (7.3%)
* [[Lyndon B. Johnson]]: 383,048 (5.1%)
* [[Roger D. Branigin]]: 238,700 (3.2%)
* [[George Smathers]]: 236,242 (3.1%)
* [[Hubert Humphrey]]: 166,463 (2.2%)
{{col-break}}
* Unpledged: 670,328 (8.9%)
* [[George Wallace]]: 33,520 (0.4%)
* [[Richard Nixon]] (write-in): 13,035 (0.2%)
* [[Nelson A. Rockefeller]]: 5,116 (0.1%)
* [[Ronald Reagan]] (write-in): 4,987 (0.1%)
* [[Ted Kennedy]]: 4,052 (0.1%)
* Others: 10,963 (0.1%){{col-end}}

===Democratic Convention and antiwar protests===

Robert Kennedy's death altered the dynamics of the race. Although Humphrey appeared the presumptive favorite for the nomination, thanks to his support from the traditional power blocs of the party, he was an unpopular choice with many of the [[antiwar|anti-war]] elements within the party, who identified him with Johnson's controversial position on the Vietnam War. However, Kennedy's delegates failed to unite behind a single candidate who could have prevented Humphrey from getting the nomination. Some of Kennedy's support went to McCarthy, but many of Kennedy's delegates, remembering their bitter primary battles with McCarthy, refused to vote for him. Instead, these delegates rallied around the late-starting candidacy of Senator [[George McGovern]] of South Dakota, a Kennedy supporter in the spring primaries who had presidential ambitions himself. This division of the anti-war votes at the Democratic Convention made it easier for Humphrey to gather the delegates he needed to win the nomination.
[[File:Photograph of Hubert Humphrey and Edmund Muskie at the 1968 Democratic National Convention a.jpg|thumb|Vice President [[Hubert Humphrey]] and U.S. Senator [[Edmund Muskie]] wave from the podium at the [[1968 Democratic National Convention]] in Chicago]]
When the [[1968 Democratic National Convention]] opened in Chicago, thousands of young activists from around the nation gathered in the city to [[1968 Democratic National Convention protest activity|protest the Vietnam War]]. On the evening of August 28, in a clash which was covered on live television, Americans were shocked to see Chicago police brutally beating anti-war protesters in the streets of Chicago in front of the Conrad Hilton Hotel. While the protesters chanted, "[[The whole world is watching]]", the police used clubs and [[tear gas]] to beat back or arrest the protesters, leaving many of them bloody and dazed. The tear gas wafted into numerous hotel suites; in one of them Vice President Humphrey was watching the proceedings on television. The police said that their actions were justified because numerous police officers were being injured by bottles, rocks, and broken glass that were being thrown at them by the protestors. The protestors had also yelled insults at the police, calling them "pigs" and other [[epithets]]. The anti-war and police riot divided the Democratic Party's base: some supported the protestors and felt that the police were being heavy-handed, but others disapproved of the violence and supported the police. Meanwhile, the convention itself was marred by the strong-arm tactics of Chicago's mayor Richard J. Daley (who was seen on television angrily cursing Senator [[Abraham Ribicoff]] from Connecticut, who made a speech at the convention denouncing the excesses of the Chicago police). In the end, the nomination itself was anticlimactic, with Vice-president Humphrey handily beating McCarthy and McGovern on the first ballot.

After the delegates nominated Humphrey, the convention then turned to selecting a vice-presidential nominee. The main candidates for this position were Senators [[Edward M. Kennedy]] from Massachusetts, [[Edmund Muskie]] from Maine, and [[Fred R. Harris]] from Oklahoma; Governors [[Richard J. Hughes|Richard Hughes]] of New Jersey and [[Terry Sanford]] of North Carolina; Mayor [[Joseph Alioto]] of San Francisco, California; former Deputy Secretary of Defense [[Cyrus Vance]]; and Ambassador [[Sargent Shriver]] from Maryland. Another idea floated was to tap Republican Governor [[Nelson Rockefeller]] of New York, one of the most liberal Republicans. Ted Kennedy was Humphrey's first choice, but the senator turned him down. After narrowing it down to Senator Muskie and Senator Harris, Vice-president Humphrey chose Muskie, a moderate and [[environmentalist]] from [[Maine]], for the nomination. The convention complied with the request and nominated Senator Muskie as Humphrey's running mate.

The publicity from the anti-war riots crippled Humphrey's campaign from the start, and it never fully recovered. Before 1968 the city of Chicago had been a frequent host for the political conventions of both parties; since 1968 only one national convention has been held there (the [[1996 Democratic National Convention|Democratic convention of 1996]], which nominated [[Bill Clinton]] for a second term, while the [[2024 Democratic National Convention|Democratic convention of 2024]] is scheduled to host in Chicago).<ref>{{Cite book |title=Guide to U.S. Elections |publisher=[[CQ Press]] |year=2010 |isbn=978-1-60426-536-1 |editor-last=Kalb |editor-first=Deborah |location=Washington, DC |pages=622–624}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right;"
|+Balloting
|-
!colspan=2|Presidential tally!! colspan=2|Vice Presidential tally
|-
![[Hubert Humphrey]] !!1759.25!! [[Edmund S. Muskie]] !!1942.5
|-
![[Eugene McCarthy]]!!601!! Not Voting !!604.25
|-
![[George S. McGovern]] !!146.5!! [[Julian Bond]] !!48.5
|-
![[Channing Phillips]] !!67.5!! David Hoeh !!4
|-
![[Daniel K. Moore]] !!17.5!! [[Edward M. Kennedy]] !!3.5
|-
![[Edward M. Kennedy]] !!12.75!! [[Eugene McCarthy]] !!3.0
|-
![[Bear Bryant|Paul W. "Bear" Bryant]] !!1.5!! Others !! 16.25
|-
![[James H. Gray Sr.|James H. Gray]] !!0.5!! !!
|-
![[George Wallace]] !!0.5!! !!
|}
Source: Keating Holland, "All the Votes... Really", CNN<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/ALLPOLITICS/1996/conventions/san.diego/facts/weird.facts/votes.shtml.orig |title=AllPolitics – 1996 GOP NRC – All The Votes...Really |publisher=Cnn.com |access-date=November 3, 2008}}</ref>

===Endorsements===

'''Hubert Humphrey'''
* [[President of the United States|President]] [[Lyndon B. Johnson]]
* [[Mayor of Chicago|Mayor]] [[Richard J. Daley]] of [[Chicago]]
* Former President [[Harry S. Truman]]
* Singer/actor [[Frank Sinatra]]

'''Robert F. Kennedy'''
* Senator [[Abraham Ribicoff]] from [[Connecticut]]<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 25, 1968 |title=Ribicoff Urges Unity With McGovern Vote |pages=14 |work=[[The Miami Herald]] |agency=UPI |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/621730055/?terms=%22robert%20kennedy%22%20%22abraham%20ribicoff%22%20%22endorse%22%20%22endorsement%22&match=1 |access-date=May 16, 2022}}</ref>
* Senator [[George McGovern]] from [[South Dakota]]<ref>{{Cite news |date=August 11, 1968 |title=McGovern Wins RFK Backers |pages=8 |work=The Honolulu Advertiser |agency=UPI |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/261083410/?terms=%22robert%20kennedy%22%20%22george%20mcgovern%22%20%22endorse%22%20%22endorsement%22&match=1 |access-date=May 16, 2022}}</ref>
* Senator [[Vance Hartke]] from [[Indiana]]<ref>{{Cite news |last=Jewell |first=Thomas |date=April 16, 1968 |title=Bobby Talks Polish, Sings at Dyngus Day |pages=21 |work=The South Bend Tribune |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/515784320 |access-date=May 16, 2022}}</ref>
* Labor Leader [[Cesar Chavez]]
* Writer [[Truman Capote]]<ref name="Schlesinger78">{{Cite journal|last=Schlesinger|first=Arthur Jr.|title=Robert Kennedy and His Times|year=1978}}</ref>
* Writer [[Norman Mailer]]
* Actress [[Shirley MacLaine]]<ref name="Schlesinger78" />
* Actress [[Stefanie Powers]]
* Actor [[Robert Vaughn]]
* Actor [[Peter Lawford]]
* Singer [[Bobby Darin]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bobbydarin.net/kennedy.html |title=BobbyDarin.net/BobbyDarin.com – Bobby Darin & Bobby Kennedy |publisher=Bobbydarin.net |date=May 10, 1968 |access-date=June 17, 2010}}</ref>

'''Eugene McCarthy'''
* Representative [[Don Edwards]] from [[California]]
* Actor [[Paul Newman]]
* Actress [[Tallulah Bankhead]]<ref name="Schlesinger78" />
* Playwright [[Arthur Miller]]<ref name="Schlesinger78" />
* Writer [[William Styron]]<ref name="Schlesinger78" />

'''George McGovern''' (during convention)
* Senator [[Abraham Ribicoff]] from [[Connecticut]]
* Governor [[Harold E. Hughes]] of [[Iowa]]