1968 United States presidential election

===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.