1968 United States presidential election

{{short description|46th quadrennial U.S. presidential election}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2017}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name = 1968 United States presidential election
| country = United States
| flag_year = 1960
| type = presidential
| opinion_polls = Nationwide opinion polling for the 1968 United States presidential election
| previous_election = 1964 United States presidential election
| previous_year = 1964
| election_date = November 5, 1968
| next_election = 1972 United States presidential election
| next_year = 1972
| votes_for_election = 538 members of the [[United States Electoral College|Electoral College]]
| needed_votes = 270 electoral
| turnout = 62.5%<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.electproject.org/national-1789-present|title=National General Election VEP Turnout Rates, 1789-Present|work=United States Election Project|publisher=[[CQ Press]]}}</ref> {{decrease}} 0.3 [[percentage point|pp]]
<!-- After further discussion at the talk page, with a community decision that the color images be used. Please do not change the images without further consensus. -->| image_size = x150px

<!-- Richard Nixon -->| image1 = <!--DO NOT CHANGE WITHOUT CONSENSUS. SEE TALK PAGE NOTE.--> File:Nixon 30-0316a (cropped).jpg
| nominee1 = '''[[Richard Nixon]]'''
| party1 = Republican Party (United States)
| home_state1 = [[New York (state)|New York]]{{efn|name="California 1960"|Nixon's official state of residence was New York because he moved there to practice law after his defeat in the [[1962 California gubernatorial election]]. During his first term as president, Nixon re-established his residency in California. Consequently, most reliable reference books, including the [https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/GPO-CRECB-1969-pt1/pdf/GPO-CRECB-1969-pt1-2-1.pdf January 6, 1969, edition of the ''Congressional Record''], list his home state as New York.}}
| running_mate1 = '''[[Spiro Agnew]]'''
| electoral_vote1 = '''301'''
| states_carried1 = '''32'''
| popular_vote1 = '''31,783,783'''
| percentage1 = '''{{percent|<!-- NIXON: --> 31,783,783|<!-- TOTAL: --> 73,199,998|1|pad=yes}}'''

<!-- Hubert Humphrey -->| image2 = <!--DO NOT CHANGE WITHOUT CONSENSUS. SEE TALK PAGE NOTE.--> File:Senator Hubert Humphrey at the Capitol (cropped).jpg
| nominee2 = [[Hubert Humphrey]]
| party2 = [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]{{efn|In Alabama Humphrey was on the Ballot as the Candidate for the [[National Democratic Party of Alabama]] and the Alabama Independent Democratic Party instead. In New York He was also on the Ballot as the [[Liberal Party of New York]] Candidate}}
| home_state2 = [[Minnesota]]
| running_mate2 = [[Edmund Muskie]]
| electoral_vote2 = 191
| states_carried2 = 13 + [[Washington, D.C.|DC]]
| popular_vote2 = 31,271,839
| percentage2 = {{percent|<!-- HUMPHREY: --> 31,271,839|<!-- TOTAL: --> 73,199,998|1|pad=yes}}

<!-- George Wallace -->| image3 = <!--DO NOT CHANGE WITHOUT CONSENSUS. SEE TALK PAGE NOTE.--> File: George Wallace (D-AL) (3x4).jpg
| nominee3 = [[George Wallace]]
| party3 = [[American Independent Party| American Independent]]{{efn|In Alabama he was also on the Ballot as the Democratic Party Candidate, and in other states, although he won electoral votes from none of them, he appeared under various other Labels such as "George Wallace Party" "Courage Party" "American Party" and as an independent candidate.}}
| home_state3 = [[Alabama]]
| running_mate3 = [[Curtis LeMay]] {{efn|In some states former Georgia Governor [[Marvin Griffin]] was George Wallace's Running mate instead, although he won no electoral votes in any of those states.}}
| electoral_vote3 = 46
| states_carried3 = 5
| popular_vote3 = 9,901,118
| percentage3 = {{percent|<!-- WALLACE: --> 9,901,118|<!-- TOTAL: --> 73,199,998|1|pad=yes}}
| color3 = FF7F00

<!-- Map -->| map_size = 350px
| map = {{1968 United States presidential election imagemap}}
| map_caption = Presidential election results map. <span style="color:red;">Red</span> denotes states won by Nixon/Agnew, <span style="color:blue;">blue</span> denotes those won by Humphrey/Muskie, and <span style="color:orange;">orange</span> denotes those won by Wallace/LeMay, including a North Carolina [[faithless elector]]. Numbers indicate [[electoral votes]] cast by each state.
| title = President
| before_election = [[Lyndon B. Johnson]]
| before_party = Democratic Party (United States)
| after_election = [[Richard Nixon]]
| after_party = Republican Party (United States)
| ongoing = 
}}
{{US 1968 presidential elections series}}
[[File:Lyndon B. Johnson addresses the Nation March 31, 1968 - LBJ Museum C9284-35 (cropped).jpg|thumb|197x197px|The incumbent in 1968, Lyndon B. Johnson. His second term expired at noon on January 20, 1969.]]
The '''1968 United States presidential election''' was the 46th quadrennial [[United States presidential election|presidential election]], held on Tuesday, November 5, 1968. The [[History of the Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] nominee, former [[Vice President of the United States|vice president]]  [[Richard Nixon]], defeated both the [[History of the Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] nominee, incumbent vice president [[Hubert Humphrey]], and the [[American Independent Party]] nominee, former Alabama governor [[George Wallace]]. This was the last election until [[1988 United States presidential election|1988]] in which the incumbent president was not on the ballot. This was also the last election where a third-party candidate received an electoral vote.

Incumbent president [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] had been the early front-runner for the Democratic Party's nomination, but he withdrew from the race after only narrowly winning the [[New Hampshire primary]]. [[Eugene McCarthy]], [[Robert F. Kennedy]] and Humphrey emerged as the three major candidates in [[1968 Democratic Party presidential primaries|the Democratic primaries]] until Kennedy [[Assassination of Robert F. Kennedy|was assassinated]]. His death after midnight on June 6, 1968, continued a streak of high-profile assassinations in the [[1960s in the United States|1960s]]. Humphrey edged out anti-Vietnam war candidate McCarthy to win the Democratic nomination, sparking numerous anti-war protests. Nixon entered the [[1968 Republican Party presidential primaries|Republican primaries]] as the front-runner, defeating liberal New York governor [[Nelson Rockefeller]], conservative governor of California [[Ronald Reagan]], and other candidates to win his party's nomination. Alabama's Democratic former governor, [[George Wallace]], ran on the [[American Independent Party]] ticket, campaigning in favor of [[Racial segregation in the United States|racial segregation]] on the basis of "states’ rights". The election year was tumultuous and chaotic. It was marked by the [[assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.]] in early April, and the subsequent [[King assassination riots|54 days of riots]] across the nation, by the [[assassination of Robert F. Kennedy]] in early June, and by widespread [[Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War|opposition to the Vietnam War]] across university campuses. Vice President Hubert Humphrey won and secured the Democratic nomination, with Humphrey promising to continue Johnson's [[war on poverty]] and to support the [[civil rights movement]].

The support of civil rights by the Johnson administration hurt Humphrey's image in the South, leading the prominent Democratic governor of Alabama, George Wallace, to mount a third-party challenge against his own party to defend racial segregation on the basis of "states’ rights". Wallace led a far-right [[American Independent Party]] attracting socially conservative voters throughout the South, and encroaching further support from white working-class voters in the Industrial North and Midwest who were attracted to Wallace's economic populism and anti-establishment rhetoric. In doing so, Wallace split the [[New Deal Coalition]], winning over [[Southern Democrats]], as well as former [[Barry Goldwater|Goldwater]] supporters who preferred Wallace to Nixon. Nixon chose to take advantage of Democratic infighting by running a more centrist platform aimed at attracting moderate voters as part of his "[[silent majority]]" who were alienated by both the liberal agenda that was advocated by Hubert Humphrey and by the ultra-conservative viewpoints of George Wallace on race and civil rights. However, Nixon also employed coded language to combat Wallace in the Upper South, where the electorate was less extreme on the segregation issue. Nixon sought to restore [[Law and order (politics)|law and order]] to the nation's cities and provide new leadership in the [[Vietnam War]].

During most of the campaign, Humphrey trailed Nixon significantly in polls taken from late August to early October, with some polls predicting a margin of victory of as high as 16% as late as August. In the final month of the campaign, however, Humphrey managed to narrow Nixon's lead after Wallace's candidacy collapsed and Johnson suspended bombing in the Vietnam War to appease the anti-war movement; the election was considered a tossup by election day. Nixon managed to secure a close victory in the popular vote on election day, with just over 500,000 votes (0.7%) separating him and Humphrey. In the electoral college, however, Nixon's victory was much larger; he carried the tipping point state of [[1968 United States presidential election in California|California]] by over 230,000 votes (3.08%), and his overall margin of victory in the electoral college was 110 votes. This was the first presidential election after the passage of the [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]] which had resulted in growing restoration of the franchise for [[Race and ethnicity in the United States|racial minorities]], especially in the South, where most had been disenfranchised since the turn of the century. Minorities in other areas also regained their ability to vote.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/voting-rights-act|title=Voting Rights Act of 1965|website=HISTORY|language=en|access-date=2019-02-01}}</ref>

Nixon also became the first non-incumbent vice president to be elected president, something that would not happen again until [[2020 United States presidential election|2020]], when [[Joe Biden]] was elected president.<ref name="Azari">{{Cite news |last=Azari |first=Julia |date=August 20, 2020 |title=Biden Had To Fight For The Presidential Nomination. But Most VPs Have To. |work=FiveThirtyEight |url=https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/biden-had-to-fight-for-the-presidential-nomination-but-most-vps-have-to/}}</ref> This also remains the most recent election in which the incumbent president was eligible to run again but was not the eventual nominee of that person's party. Nixon's victory also commenced the Republican Party's lock on certain Western states that would vote for them in every election until [[1988 United States presidential election|1988]], allowing them to win the presidency in five of the six presidential elections that took place in that period.

==Background==
In the [[1964 United States presidential election|election of 1964]], incumbent [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]] [[President of the United States|U.S. president]] [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] won the largest popular vote landslide in [[United States presidential election|U.S. presidential election]] history over [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[United States Senate|U.S. Senator]] [[Barry Goldwater]]. During the presidential term that followed, Johnson was able to achieve many political successes, including passage of his [[Great Society]] domestic programs (including "War on Poverty" legislation), landmark [[civil rights]] legislation, and the continued exploration of space. Despite these significant achievements, Johnson's popular support would be short-lived. Even as Johnson scored legislative victories, the country endured large-scale race riots in the streets of its larger cities, along with a generational revolt of young people and violent debates over foreign policy. The emergence of the [[hippie]] [[Counterculture of the 1960s|counter-culture]], the rise of [[New Left]] activism, and the emergence of the [[Black Power]] movement exacerbated social and cultural clashes between classes, generations, and races. Adding to the national crisis, on April 4, 1968, [[Civil rights movement|civil rights leader]] Rev. [[Martin Luther King Jr.]], was [[Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.|assassinated]] in [[Memphis, Tennessee]], igniting riots of grief and anger across the country. In [[Washington, D.C.]], rioting took place within a few blocks of the White House, and the government stationed soldiers with machine guns on the Capitol steps to protect it.<ref>Thomas Adams Upchurch, ''Race relations in the United States, 1960–1980'' (2008) pp. 7–50.</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/timeline-seismic-180967503/|title=A Timeline of 1968: The Year That Shattered America|website=Smithsonian|language=en|access-date=2019-02-01}}</ref>

The [[Vietnam War]] was the primary reason for the precipitous decline of President Johnson's popularity. He had escalated U.S. commitment so by late 1967 over 500,000 American soldiers were fighting in Vietnam. Draftees made up 42 percent of the military in Vietnam, but suffered 58% of the casualties, as nearly 1000 Americans a month were killed, and many more were injured.<ref>{{cite book|author=James Westheider|title=Fighting in Vietnam: The Experience of the US Soldier|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=M9jS16CZh0YC&pg=PA136|year=2011|publisher=Stackpole Books|pages=136–38|isbn=978-0-8117-0831-9}}</ref> But resistance to the war rose as success seemed ever out of reach. The national [[news media]] began to focus on the high costs and ambiguous results of escalation, despite Johnson's repeated efforts to downplay the seriousness of the situation.

In early January 1968, [[United States Secretary of Defense|Secretary of Defense]] [[Robert McNamara]] said the war would be winding down, claiming that the North Vietnamese were losing their will to fight. But, shortly thereafter, the North Vietnamese launched the [[Tet Offensive]], in which they and Communist forces of [[Vietcong]] undertook simultaneous attacks on all government strongholds across South Vietnam. Though the uprising ended in a U.S. military victory, the scale of the Tet offensive led many Americans to question whether the war could be "won", or was worth the costs to the U.S. In addition, voters began to mistrust the government's assessment and reporting of the war effort. The Pentagon called for sending several hundred thousand more soldiers to Vietnam. Johnson's approval ratings fell below 35%. The [[United States Secret Service|Secret Service]] refused to let the president visit American colleges and universities, and prevented him from appearing at the [[1968 Democratic National Convention protest activity|1968 Democratic National Convention]] in [[Chicago]], because it could not guarantee his safety.<ref>{{cite book|author=Ben J. Wattenberg|title=Fighting Words: A Tale of How Liberals Created Neo-Conservatism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0rGoksJR_jcC&pg=PA40|year=2008|publisher=Macmillan|page=40|isbn=978-1-4299-2463-4}}</ref>

==Republican Party nomination==
{{Main|1968 Republican Party presidential primaries}}
{{Richard Nixon series}}

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; text-align:center;"
|-
| style="background:#f1f1f1;" colspan="30"|[[File:Republican Disc.svg|65px|center|link=Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party (United States)]]<big> '''1968 Republican Party ticket'''</big>
|-
! style="width:3em; font-size:135%; background:#E81B23; width:200px;"| [[Richard Nixon|{{color|white|Richard Nixon}}]]
! style="width:3em; font-size:135%; background:#E81B23; width:200px;"| [[Spiro Agnew|{{color|white|Spiro Agnew}}]]
|- style="color:#000; font-size:100%; background:#ffd0d7;"
| style="width:3em; width:200px;"|'''''for President'''''
| style="width:3em; width:200px;"|'''''for Vice President'''''
|-
| [[File:Nixon 30-0316a (cropped).jpg|center|x200px]]
| [[File:VP Agnew and Mayor Lindsay (cropped).jpg|center|198x198px]]
|-
|[[List of vice presidents of the United States|36th]]<br />[[Vice President of the United States]]<br /><small>(1953–1961)</small> 
|[[List of governors of Maryland|55th]]<br />[[Governor of Maryland]]<br /><small>(1967–1969)</small> 
|-
| colspan=2 |[[Richard Nixon 1968 presidential campaign|'''Campaign''']]
|-
| colspan=2 |[[File:Nixon Agnew 1968 campaign logo.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 flying home delegation in the case of [[favorite son]]s.

Nixon received '''1,679,443 votes''' in the primaries.

{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%"
|- <sup>†</sup>
| colspan="4" style="text-align:center; width:1000px; font-size:120%; color:white; background:{{party color|Republican 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%;"|[[Ronald Reagan]]
! scope="col" style="width:3em; font-size:120%;"|[[Nelson Rockefeller]]
! scope="col" style="width:3em; font-size:120%;"|[[Harold Stassen]]
! scope="col" style="width:3em; font-size:120%;"|[[George W. Romney]]
|-
|[[File:Ronald_Reagan_1966_(cropped).jpg|center|120x120px]]
|[[File:Nelson Rockefeller Philadelphia 1968 Service-pnp-gtfy-03400-03415v (cropped2).jpg|center|120x120px]]
|[[File:Harold Stassen.jpg|center|120x120px]]
|[[File:George W. Romney official portrait.jpg|center|120x120px]]
|- style="text-align:center"
|Governor of [[California]]<br /><small>(1967–1975)</small>
|Governor of [[New York (state)|New York]]<br /><small>(1959–1973)</small>
|Former president of the [[University of Pennsylvania]]<br /><small>(1948–1953)</small>
|Governor of [[Michigan]]<br /><small>(1963–1969)</small>
|- style="text-align:center"
|[[Ronald Reagan#California governorship (1967–1975)|Campaign]]
|[[Nelson Rockefeller#Presidential campaigns|Campaign]]
|
|[[George Romney 1968 presidential campaign|Campaign]]
|- style="text-align:center"
|''Lost nomination: August 8, 1968''<br /><small>'''1,696,632''' votes</small>
|''Lost nomination: August 8, 1968''<br /><small>'''164,340''' votes</small>
|''Lost nomination: August 8, 1968''<br /><small>'''31,665''' votes</small>
|''Withdrew: February 28, 1968''<br /><small>'''4,447''' votes</small>
|-
|}

===Primaries===

[[File:NIXONcampaigns.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Richard Nixon campaign rally, July 1968]]
The [[front-runner]] for the Republican nomination was former Vice President Richard Nixon, who formally began campaigning in January 1968.<ref name="N&O">{{cite news|title=Another Race To the Finish |newspaper=[[The News & Observer]] |date=November 2, 2008 |url=http://www.newsobserver.com/news/q/story/1278451.html |access-date=November 24, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090115040630/http://www.newsobserver.com/news/q/story/1278451.html |archive-date=January 15, 2009 }}</ref> Nixon had worked behind the scenes and was instrumental in Republican gains in Congress and governorships in the 1966 midterm elections. Thus, the party machinery and many of the new congressmen and governors supported him. Still, there was caution in the Republican ranks over Nixon, who had lost the [[1960 United States presidential election|1960]] election to [[John F. Kennedy]] and then lost the [[1962 California gubernatorial election]]. Some hoped a more "electable" candidate would emerge. The story of the 1968 Republican primary campaign and nomination may be seen as one Nixon opponent after another entering the race and then dropping out. Nixon was the front runner throughout the contest because of his superior organization, and he easily defeated the rest of the field.

Nixon's first challenger was Michigan Governor [[George W. Romney]]. A Gallup poll in mid-1967 showed Nixon with 39%, followed by Romney with 25%. After a fact-finding trip to Vietnam, Romney told Detroit talk show host [[Lou Gordon (journalist)|Lou Gordon]] that he had been "brainwashed" by the military and the diplomatic corps into supporting the Vietnam War; the remark led to weeks of ridicule in the national news media. Turning against American involvement in Vietnam, Romney planned to run as the anti-war Republican version of [[Eugene McCarthy]].<ref>''The New York Times'', February 18, 1968</ref> But, following his "[[brainwashing]]" comment, Romney's support faded steadily; with polls showing him far behind Nixon, he withdrew from the race on February 28, 1968.<ref>''The New York Times'', February 29, 1968</ref>

Senator [[Charles H. Percy|Charles Percy]] was considered another potential threat to Nixon, and had planned on waging an active campaign after securing a role as Illinois's favorite son. Later, however, Percy declined to have his name listed on the ballot for the Illinois presidential primary. He no longer sought the presidential nomination.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1967/09/26/archives/percy-shunning-active-68-role-wants-to-stay-off-ballot-in.html |title=PERCY SHUNNING ACTIVE '68 ROLE – Wants to Stay Off Ballot in Presidential Primaries |access-date=August 25, 2015|newspaper=The New York Times |date=1967-09-26 }}</ref>

Nixon won a resounding victory in the important New Hampshire primary on March 12, with 78% of the vote. Anti-war Republicans wrote in the name of New York governor [[Nelson Rockefeller]], the leader of the Republican Party's liberal wing, who received 11% of the vote and became Nixon's new challenger. Rockefeller had not originally intended to run, having discounted a campaign for the nomination in 1965, and planned to make [[United States Senate|United States Senator]] [[Jacob K. Javits|Jacob Javits]], the [[favorite son]], either in preparation of a presidential campaign or to secure him the second spot on the ticket. As Rockefeller warmed to the idea of entering the race, Javits shifted his effort to seeking a third term in the Senate.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1967/09/29/archives/javits-says-favoriteson-choice-for-68-is-still-an-open-matter.html |title=Javits Says Favorite-Son Choice For '68 Is Still an Open Matter |newspaper=The New York Times |date=September 29, 1967 |access-date=August 25, 2015}}</ref> Nixon led Rockefeller in the polls throughout the primary campaign, and though Rockefeller defeated Nixon and [[Governor of Massachusetts|Governor]] [[John A. Volpe|John Volpe]] from [[Massachusetts]] primary on April 30, he otherwise fared poorly in state primaries and conventions. He had declared too late to get his name placed on state primary ballots.

By early spring, [[Governor of California|California governor]] [[Ronald Reagan]] the leader of the Republican Party's conservative wing, had become Nixon's chief rival. In the Nebraska primary on May 14, Nixon won with 70% of the vote to 21% for Reagan and 5% for Rockefeller. While this was a wide margin for Nixon, Reagan remained Nixon's leading challenger. Nixon won the next primary of importance, Oregon, on May 15 with 65% of the vote, and won all the following primaries except for California (June 4), where only Reagan appeared on the ballot. Reagan's victory in California gave him a plurality of the nationwide primary vote, but his poor showing in most other state primaries left him far behind Nixon in the delegate count.

Total popular vote:
{{col-begin}}
{{col-break|width=50%}}
* [[Ronald Reagan]]: 1,696,632 (37.93%)
* [[Richard Nixon]]: 1,679,443 (37.54%)
* [[James A. Rhodes]]: 614,492 (13.74%)
* [[Nelson Rockefeller]]: 164,340 (3.67%)
* Unpledged: 140,639 (3.14%)
* [[Eugene McCarthy]] (write-in): 44,520 (1.00%)
* [[Harold Stassen]]: 31,655 (0.71%)
* [[John Volpe]]: 31,465 (0.70%)
* Others: 21,456 (0.51%)
* [[George Wallace]] (write-in): 15,291 (0.34%)
{{col-break}}
* [[Robert F. Kennedy]] (write-in): 14,524 (0.33%)
* [[Hubert Humphrey]] (write-in): 5,698 (0.13)
* [[Lyndon B. Johnson]] (write-in): 4,824 (0.11%)
* [[George W. Romney]]: 4,447 (0.10%)
* [[Raymond P. Shafer]]: 1,223 (0.03%)
* [[William Scranton]]: 724 (0.02%)
* [[Charles H. Percy]]: 689 (0.02%)
* [[Barry Goldwater]]: 598 (0.01%)
* [[John Lindsay]]: 591 (0.01%)
{{col-end}}

===Republican Convention===
{{Main|1968 Republican National Convention}}
{{See also|1968 Miami riot}}
As the [[1968 Republican National Convention]] opened on August 5 in [[Miami Beach, Florida]], the [[Associated Press]] estimated that Nixon had 656 delegate votes – 11 short of the number he needed to win the nomination. Reagan and Rockefeller were his only remaining opponents and they planned to unite their forces in a "stop-Nixon" movement.

Because Goldwater had done well in the [[Deep South]], delegates to the [[1968 Republican National Convention]] included more Southern conservatives than in past conventions. There seemed potential for the conservative Reagan to be nominated if no victor emerged on the first ballot. Nixon narrowly secured the nomination on the first ballot, with the aid of South Carolina Senator [[Strom Thurmond]], who had switched parties in 1964.{{sfn|Perlstein|2008}}{{page needed|date=March 2013}} He selected [[dark horse]] Maryland Governor [[Spiro Agnew]] as his running mate, a choice which Nixon believed would unite the party, appealing to both Northern moderates and Southerners disaffected with the Democrats.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.upi.com/Audio/Year_in_Review/Events-of-1968/1968-Presidential-Election/12303153093431-2/ | title=1968 Year In Review | publisher=UPI | access-date=June 17, 2010}}</ref> Nixon's first choice for running mate was reportedly his longtime friend and ally [[Robert Finch (American politician)|Robert Finch]], who was the [[Lieutenant Governor of California]] at the time. Finch declined that offer, but later accepted an appointment as the [[United States Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare|Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare]] in Nixon's administration. With Vietnam a key issue, Nixon had strongly considered tapping his 1960 running mate, [[Henry Cabot Lodge Jr.]], a former U.S. senator, ambassador to the UN, and ambassador twice to [[South Vietnam]].

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right"
|+The Republican Convention Tally<ref>{{cite web|url=https://presidentialcampaignselectionsreference.wordpress.com/overviews/20th-century/1968-overview/ |title=1968 &#124; Presidential Campaigns & Elections Reference |publisher=Presidentialcampaignselectionsreference.wordpress.com |date= 2011-07-05|access-date=November 27, 2014}}</ref>
|-
! President !! (before switches) !! (after switches)!! Vice President !! Vice-Presidential votes
|-
![[Richard Nixon]] !!692!!1238!! [[Spiro Agnew]] !!1119
|-
![[Nelson Rockefeller]] !!277!!93!! [[George W. Romney]] !!186
|-
![[Ronald Reagan]]!!182!!2!![[John V. Lindsay]] !!10
|-
![[Ohio]] governor [[James A. Rhodes]]!!55!!—!![[Massachusetts]] senator [[Edward Brooke]]!!1
|-
![[Michigan]] governor [[George W. Romney]]!!50!!—!![[James A. Rhodes]]!!1
|-
![[New Jersey]] senator [[Clifford Case]]!!22!!—!! not voting !!16
|-
![[Kansas]] senator [[Frank Carlson]] !!20!!—!!—!!
|-
![[Arkansas]] governor [[Winthrop Rockefeller]] !!18!!—!!—!!
|-
![[Hawaii]] senator [[Hiram Fong]] !!14!!—!!—!!
|-
![[Harold Stassen]]!!2!!—!!—!!
|-
!New York City mayor [[John V. Lindsay]]!!1!!—!!—!!
|}

As of the 2020 presidential election, 1968 was the last time that two siblings (Nelson and Winthrop Rockefeller) ran against each other in a [[United States presidential primary|presidential primary]].

==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]]

==American Independent Party nomination==
{{See also|George Wallace 1968 presidential campaign}}
{| class="wikitable" style="font-size:90%; text-align:center;"
|-
| style="background:#f1f1f1;" colspan="30"|[[File:American Independent Party Logo.png|94x94px]]
<big> '''1968 American Independent Party ticket'''</big>
|-
! style="width:3em; font-size:135%; background:#ff7f00; width:200px;"| [[George Wallace|{{color|white|George Wallace}}]]
! style="width:3em; font-size:135%; background:#ff7f00; width:200px;"| [[Curtis LeMay|{{color|white|Curtis LeMay}}]]
|- style="color:#000; font-size:100%; background:#faaf64;"
| style="width:3em; width:200px;"|'''''for President'''''
| style="width:3em; width:200px;"|'''''for Vice President'''''
|-
| [[File:George Wallace (D-AL) (3x4).jpg|center|220x220px]]
| [[File:Curtis LeMay (USAF) (cropped closein 3x4).jpg|center|200x200px]]
|-
| [[List of Governors of Alabama|45th]]<br />[[Governor of Alabama]]<br /><small>(1963–1967)</small>
| [[Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force]]<br /><small>(1961–1965)</small>
|-
| colspan=2 |[[George Wallace 1968 presidential campaign|'''Campaign''']]
|-
| colspan=2 |[[File:Wallace Lemay bumper sticker.svg|200x200px]]
|-
|}

The [[American Independent Party]], which was established in 1967 by [[Bill Shearer|Bill]] and Eileen Shearer, nominated former Alabama Governor [[George Wallace]] – whose pro-[[racial segregation]] policies had been rejected by the mainstream of the Democratic Party – as the party's candidate for president. The impact of the Wallace campaign was substantial, winning the electoral votes of several states in the [[Deep South]]. He appeared on the ballot in all fifty states, but not the District of Columbia. Although he did not come close to winning any states outside the South, Wallace was the 1968 presidential candidate who most disproportionately drew his support from among young men.<ref name="'70s">{{cite book|title= How We Got Here: The '70s|last= Frum|first= David|author-link= David Frum|year= 2000|publisher= Basic Books|location= New York|isbn= 978-0-465-04195-4|page= xxi|url= https://archive.org/details/howwegothere70sd00frum}}</ref> Wallace also proved to be popular among [[blue-collar]] workers in the North and Midwest, and he took many votes which might have gone to Humphrey.<ref>{{cite book|author1=B. Dan Wood|author2=Soren Jordan|title=Party Polarization in America: The War Over Two Social Contracts|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=diAzDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA165|year=2017|page=165|publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=9781108171212}}</ref>

Wallace was not expected to win the election – his strategy was to prevent either major party candidate from winning a preliminary majority in the [[U.S. Electoral College|Electoral College]]. Although Wallace put considerable effort into mounting a serious general election campaign, his presidential bid was also a continuation of Southern efforts to elect [[unpledged electors]] that had taken place in every election from [[1956 United States presidential election|1956]] – he had his electors promise to vote not necessarily for him but rather for whomever he directed them to support – his objective was not to move the election into the [[U.S. House of Representatives]] where he would have had little influence, but rather to give himself the bargaining power to determine the winner. Wallace's [[running mate]] was retired four star General [[Curtis LeMay]].

Prior to deciding on LeMay, Wallace gave serious consideration to former U.S. senator, governor, and Baseball Commissioner A. B. [[Happy Chandler]] of Kentucky as his running mate.<ref>{{cite journal|title=A. B. "Happy" Chandler, George C. Wallace, and the Presidential Election of 1968 |date=December 16, 2002 |doi=10.1111/1540-6563.00010 |volume=64 |issue=34 |journal=The Historian |pages=667–685|last1=Hill |first1=John Paul |s2cid=145329893 }}</ref> Chandler and Wallace met a number of times; however, Chandler said that he and Wallace were unable to come to an agreement regarding their positions on racial matters. Paradoxically, Chandler supported the segregationist [[Dixiecrat]]s in the 1948 presidential elections. However, after being re-elected [[Governor of Kentucky]] in 1955, he used [[National Guard of the United States|National Guard]] troops to enforce school integration.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|url=https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/105414/Happy-Chandler |title=Happy Chandler &#124; biography – American politician and baseball commissioner |encyclopedia=Britannica.com |date=June 15, 1991 |access-date=August 25, 2015}}</ref> Other considerations included [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] newscaster [[Paul Harvey]] of Oklahoma, former [[United States Secretary of Agriculture|Secretary of Agriculture]] [[Ezra Taft Benson]] of Utah, former Governor of Arkansas [[Orval Faubus]], and even [[Kentucky Fried Chicken]] founder [[Colonel Sanders]].<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,902367,00.html |title=The Campaign: George's General |magazine=Time |date=October 11, 1968 |access-date=April 12, 2023}}</ref>

LeMay embarrassed Wallace's campaign in the fall by suggesting that [[nuclear weapons]] could be used in Vietnam.

===Other parties and candidates===
Also on the ballot in two or more states were black activist [[Eldridge Cleaver]] (who was ineligible to take office, as he would have only been 33 years of age on January 20, 1969) for the [[Peace and Freedom Party (United States)|Peace and Freedom Party]]; [[Henning A. Blomen|Henning Blomen]] for the [[Socialist Labor Party of America|Socialist Labor Party]]; [[Fred Halstead]] for the [[Socialist Workers Party (United States)|Socialist Workers Party]]; [[E. Harold Munn]] for the [[Prohibition Party]]; and [[Charlene Mitchell]] – the first African-American woman to run for president, and the first woman to receive valid votes in a general election – for the [[Communist Party USA|Communist Party]]. Comedians [[Dick Gregory]] and [[Pat Paulsen]] were notable [[write-in candidate]]s. A facetious presidential candidate for 1968 was a pig named [[Pigasus (politics)|Pigasus]], as a political statement by the [[Yippies]], to illustrate their premise that "one pig's as good as any other".<ref name="Perlstein">{{cite book|first=Rick| last=Perlstein|title=Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America|year=2008| title-link=Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America}}</ref>{{page needed|date=March 2013}}

==General election==

=== Polling ===
<div class="floatright" style="border: 1px solid #a2a9b1; background-color: #f8f9fa; margin-left: 1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em; padding: 0.2em;">
<div style="font-size:120%;">'''Polling aggregates'''</div>
<div style="font-size:105%;">'''Candidates'''</div>
{{legend|#E81B23|Richard Nixon}}
{{legend|#3333FF|Hubert Humphrey}}
{{legend|Purple|George Wallace}}
{{legend|Silver|Undecided/Other}}
<div style="font-size:105%;">'''Events'''</div>
{{legend|LightSteelBlue|Conventions}}
</div>
{{Graph:Chart|width=950|vannotatonsline=1968/08/05, 1968/08/25|y8=<!-- 1968 --> ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, 0.33 <!-- Wallace Final -->|y7=<!-- 1968 --> ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, 13.53 <!-- Wallace Final -->|y6=<!-- 1968 --> ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, 42.72 <!-- Humphrey Final -->|y5=<!-- 1968 --> ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, 43.42 <!-- Nixon Final -->|y4=<!-- 1968 --> 19, 9, 13, 11, 8, 8, 7, 9, 11, 6, 8, 9, 7, 9, 8, 7, 7, 5, 7, 7,<!-- Undecided/Other -->|y3=<!-- 1968 --> 12, 14, 13, 14, 14, 14, 14, 16, 17, 16, 18, 17, 19, 21, 21, 20, 18, 15, 16, 14,<!-- Wallace -->|y2=<!-- 1968 --> 35, 34, 38, 36, 41, 42, 42, 40, 37, 38, 29, 34, 31, 31, 28, 29, 35, 36, 37, 40,<!-- Humphrey -->|y1=<!-- 1968 --> 34, 43, 36, 39, 37, 36, 37, 35, 35, 40, 45, 40, 43, 39, 43, 44, 40, 44, 40, 42,<!-- Nixon -->|x=<!-- 1968 Q2 --> 1968/04/06, 1968/04/26, 1968/05/06, 1968/05/12, 1968/05/23, 1968/06/12, 1968/06/23, 
<!-- 1968 Q3 --> 1968/07/11, 1968/07/20, 1968/07/31, 1968/08/21, 1968/08/27, 1968/09/11, 1968/09/23, 1968/09/29, 
<!-- 1968 Q4 --> 1968/10/10, 1968/10/18, 1968/10/24, 1968/11/01, 1968/11/04, 1968/11/05|vannotatonslabel=Republican National Convention, Democratic National Convention|height=450|linewidth=2|showSymbols=0, 0, 0, 0, 3, 3, 3, 3|symbolsShape=circle|yGrid=yes|yAxisTitle=% Support|xAxisAngle=-40|xType=date|interpolate=basis|type=line|colors=<!-- Active candidates --> #E81B23, #3333FF, #ff7f00, Silver, #E81B23, #3333FF, #ff7f00, LightSteelBlue, #808080}}
{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible"
! Poll source
! Date
! Richard Nixon<br/><small>{{nobold|Republican}}</small>
! Hubert Humphrey<br><small>{{nobold|Democratic}}</small>
! George Wallace<br><small>{{nobold|American Ind.}}</small>
! Undecided/Other
! Leading by<br>([[percentage point|points]])
|-
! | '''Election Results'''
|November 5, 1968
|align="center" {{party shading/Republican}}|'''43.42%'''
|align="center" | 42.72%
|align="center" | 13.53%
|align="center" | 0.33%
| {{party shading/Republican}} align=center|'''0.70'''
|-
|{{sad|Harris}}<ref>{{cite news |date=1968-11-05 |title=Nation Will Vote Today; Close Presidential Race Predicted In Late Polls |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1968/11/05/76902246.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=2020-12-10}}</ref> <!-- 1,206 interviewed -->
|November 4, 1968
|align="center" | 40%
|align="center" {{party shading/Democratic}}| '''43%'''
|align="center" | 13%
|align="center" | 4%
| {{party shading/Democratic}} align=center|'''3'''
|-
|{{sad|Gallup}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Gallup |first=George |author-link=George Gallup |date=1972 |title=The Gallup Poll: Public Opinion, 1935-1971 |volume=III |page=2168}}</ref>
|November 4, 1968
|align="center" {{party shading/Republican}}|'''42%'''
|align="center" | 40%
|align="center" | 14%
|align="center" | 4%
| {{party shading/Republican}} align=center|'''2'''
|-
|{{sad|Harris}}<ref>{{cite news |date=1968-11-02 |title=Humphrey Gains In A Harris Poll |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1968/11/02/76901271.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=2020-12-10}}</ref> <!-- 1,899 interviewed -->
|November 1, 1968
|align="center" {{party shading/Republican}}| '''40%'''
|align="center" | 37%
|align="center" | 16%
|align="center" | 7%
| {{party shading/Republican}} align=center|'''3'''
|-
|{{sad|Gallup}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Gallup |first=George |author-link=George Gallup |date=1972 |title=The Gallup Poll: Public Opinion, 1935-1971 |volume=III |page=2167}}</ref>
|October 24, 1968
|align="center" {{party shading/Republican}}|'''44%'''
|align="center" | 36%
|align="center" | 15%
|align="center" | 5%
| {{party shading/Republican}} align=center|'''8'''
|-
|{{sad|Harris}}<ref>{{cite news |date=1968-10-19 |title=Humphrey Gains In A Harris Poll |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1968/10/19/76894251.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=2020-12-10}}</ref> <!-- 1,899 interviewed -->
|October 18, 1968
|align="center" {{party shading/Republican}}| '''40%'''
|align="center" | 35%
|align="center" | 18%
|align="center" | 7%
| {{party shading/Republican}} align=center|'''5'''
|-
|{{sad|Gallup}}<ref>{{cite news |date=1968-10-10 |title=Gallup Poll Finds Nixon Is Maintaining Large Lead |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1968/10/10/77182250.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=2020-12-10}}</ref>
|October 9, 1968
|align="center" {{party shading/Republican}}|'''44%'''
|align="center" | 29%
|align="center" | 20%
|align="center" | 7%
| {{party shading/Republican}} align=center|'''8'''
|-
|{{sad|Gallup}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Gallup |first=George |author-link=George Gallup |date=1972 |title=The Gallup Poll: Public Opinion, 1935-1971 |volume=III |page=2162}}</ref>
|September 29, 1968
|align="center" {{party shading/Republican}}|'''43%'''
|align="center" | 28%
|align="center" | 21%
|align="center" | 8%
| {{party shading/Republican}} align=center|'''15'''
|-
|{{sad|Harris}}<ref>{{cite news |date=1968-09-24 |title=New Harris Poll Puts Nixon On Top |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1968/09/24/302057962.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=2020-12-10}}</ref> <!-- 1,322 interviewed -->
|September 23, 1968
|align="center" {{party shading/Republican}}| '''39%'''
|align="center" | 31%
|align="center" | 21%
|align="center" | 9%
| {{party shading/Republican}} align=center|'''8'''
|-
|{{sad|Gallup}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Gallup |first=George |author-link=George Gallup |date=1972 |title=The Gallup Poll: Public Opinion, 1935-1971 |volume=III |page=2159}}</ref>
|September 11, 1968
|align="center" {{party shading/Republican}}|'''43%'''
|align="center" | 31%
|align="center" | 19%
|align="center" | 7%
| {{party shading/Republican}} align=center|'''12'''
|-
|{{sad|Harris}}<ref name="New Harris Poll Puts Nixon On Top">{{cite news |date=1968-08-28 |title=New Harris Poll Puts Nixon On Top |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1968/08/28/76967978.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=2020-12-10}}</ref> <!-- 1,536 interviewed -->
|August 27, 1968
|align="center" {{party shading/Republican}}| '''40%'''
|align="center" | 34%
|align="center" | 17%
|align="center" | 9%
| {{party shading/Republican}} align=center|'''6'''
|-
|{{sad|Gallup}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Gallup |first=George |author-link=George Gallup |date=1972 |title=The Gallup Poll: Public Opinion, 1935-1971 |volume=III |page=2155}}</ref>
|August 21, 1968
|align="center" {{party shading/Republican}}|'''45%'''
|align="center" | 29%
|align="center" | 18%
|align="center" | 8%
| {{party shading/Republican}} align=center|'''16'''
|-
|{{sad|Harris}}<ref name="The New York Times">{{cite news |date=1968-08-01 |title=Harris Poll Gives Rockefeller A Lift |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1968/08/01/79942476.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=2020-12-09}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |date=1968-08-02 |title=Comparison of 4 Polls |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1968/08/02/91234173.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=2020-12-10}}</ref> <!-- 1,350 interviewed -->
|July 31, 1968
|align="center" |36%
|align="center" {{party shading/Democratic}}| '''41%'''
|align="center" | 16%
|align="center" | 7%
| {{party shading/Democratic}} align=center|'''5'''
|-
|{{sad|Crossley}}<ref name="The New York Times"/><ref>{{cite news |date=1968-08-01 |title=Crossley Findings |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1968/08/01/79942610.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=2020-12-10}}</ref> <!-- 1,976 interviewed -->
|July 31, 1968
|align="center" {{party shading/Republican}}|'''39%'''
|align="center" | 36%
|align="center" | 19%
|align="center" | 6%
| {{party shading/Republican}} align=center|'''3'''
|-
|{{sad|Gallup}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Gallup |first=George |author-link=George Gallup |date=1972 |title=The Gallup Poll: Public Opinion, 1935-1971 |volume=III |page=2150}}</ref>
|July 31, 1968
|align="center" {{party shading/Republican}}|'''40%'''
|align="center" | 38%
|align="center" | 16%
|align="center" | 6%
| {{party shading/Republican}} align=center|'''2'''
|-
|{{sad|Harris}}<ref>{{cite news |date=1968-07-21 |title=McCarthy, Buoyed by 2 Polls, Sees 'Even Chance |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1968/07/21/110090197.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=2020-12-09}}</ref><ref name="New Harris Poll Puts Nixon On Top"/>
|July 20, 1968
|align="center" | 35%
|align="center" {{party shading/Democratic}}| '''37%'''
|align="center" | 17%
|align="center" | 11%
| {{party shading/Democratic}} align=center|'''2'''
|-
|{{sad|Gallup}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Gallup |first=George |author-link=George Gallup |date=1972 |title=The Gallup Poll: Public Opinion, 1935-1971 |volume=III |page=2139}}</ref>
|July 11, 1968
|align="center" |35%
|align="center" {{party shading/Democratic}}| '''40%'''
|align="center" | 16%
|align="center" | 9%
| {{party shading/Democratic}} align=center|'''5'''
|-
|{{sad|Harris}}<ref>{{cite news |date=1968-06-24 |title=Poll Finds Kennedy Would Aid Ticket |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1968/06/25/77309653.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=2020-12-09}}</ref>
|June 24, 1968
|align="center" | -
|align="center" {{party shading/Democratic}}| '''-'''
|align="center" | -
|align="center" | -
| {{party shading/Democratic}} align=center|'''7'''<!-- Only Margin Given -->
|-
|{{sad|Gallup}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Gallup |first=George |author-link=George Gallup |date=1972 |title=The Gallup Poll: Public Opinion, 1935-1971 |volume=III |page=2134}}</ref>
|June 23, 1968
|align="center" |37%
|align="center" {{party shading/Democratic}}| '''42%'''
|align="center" | 14%
|align="center" | 7%
| {{party shading/Democratic}} align=center|'''5'''
|-
|{{sad|Gallup}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Gallup |first=George |author-link=George Gallup |date=1972 |title=The Gallup Poll: Public Opinion, 1935-1971 |volume=III |page=2130}}</ref>
|June 12, 1968<!-- 1,570 Likely Voters -->
|align="center" |36%
|align="center" {{party shading/Democratic}}| '''42%'''
|align="center" | 14%
|align="center" | 8%
| {{party shading/Democratic}} align=center|'''6'''
|-
|{{sad|Harris}}<ref>{{cite news |date=1968-05-23 |title=Harris Poll Finds Gain By Humphrey |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1968/05/24/77102545.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=2020-12-09}}</ref>
|May 23, 1968
|align="center" | 37%
|align="center" {{party shading/Democratic}}| '''41%'''
|align="center" | 14%
|align="center" | 8%
| {{party shading/Democratic}} align=center|'''4'''
|-
|{{sad|Gallup}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Gallup |first=George |author-link=George Gallup |date=1972 |title=The Gallup Poll: Public Opinion, 1935-1971 |volume=III |page=2126}}</ref>
|May 12, 1968 <!-- 1,139 Registered Voters -->
|align="center" {{party shading/Republican}}|'''39%'''
|align="center" | 36%
|align="center" | 14%
|align="center" | 11%
| {{party shading/Republican}} align=center|'''3'''
|-
|{{sad|Harris}}<ref>{{cite news |date=1968-05-07 |title=Kennedy's Lead Fades in 2 Polls |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1968/05/07/79938778.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=2020-12-09}}</ref>
|May 6, 1968
|align="center" | 36%
|align="center" {{party shading/Democratic}}| '''38%'''
|align="center" | 13%
|align="center" | 13%
| {{party shading/Democratic}} align=center|'''2'''
|-
|{{sad|Gallup}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Gallup |first=George |author-link=George Gallup |date=1972 |title=The Gallup Poll: Public Opinion, 1935-1971 |volume=III |page=2122}}</ref>
|April 21, 1968
|align="center" {{party shading/Republican}}|'''43%'''
|align="center" | 34%
|align="center" | 14%
|align="center" | 9%
| {{party shading/Republican}} align=center|'''9'''
|-
|{{sad|Harris}}<ref>{{cite news |date=1968-04-06 |title=Harris Poll Shows Kennedy, McCarthy In Front of Nixon |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1968/04/06/88935855.pdf?pdf_redirect=true&ip=0 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=2020-12-09}}</ref>
|April 6, 1968
|align="center" | 34%
|align="center" {{party shading/Democratic}}| '''35%'''
|align="center" | 12%
|align="center" | 19%
| {{party shading/Democratic}} align=center|'''1'''
|-
|}

===Campaign strategies===
Nixon developed a "[[Southern strategy]]" that was designed to appeal to conservative white southerners, who had traditionally voted Democratic, but were opposed to Johnson and Humphrey's support for the [[Civil and political rights|civil rights]] movement, as well as the rioting that had broken out in most large cities. Wallace, however, won over many of the voters Nixon targeted, effectively splitting that voting bloc. Wallace deliberately targeted many states he had little chance of carrying himself in the hope that by splitting as many votes with Nixon as possible he would give competitive states to Humphrey and, by extension, boost his own chances of denying both opponents an Electoral College majority.<ref>Joseph A. Aistrup, ''The southern strategy revisited: Republican top-down advancement in the South'' (2015).</ref>

Since he was well behind Nixon in the polls as the campaign began, Humphrey opted for a slashing, fighting campaign style. He repeatedly – and unsuccessfully – challenged Nixon to a televised debate, and he often compared his campaign to the successful underdog effort of President [[Harry Truman]], another Democrat who had trailed in the polls, in the 1948 presidential election. Humphrey predicted that he, like Truman, would surprise the experts and win an upset victory.<ref>{{cite book|author=Daniel S. Margolies|title=A Companion to Harry S. Truman|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bcLeZ7MLvM0C&pg=PT264|year=2012|pages=264 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=9781118300756}}</ref>

===Campaign themes===
Nixon campaigned on a theme to restore "[[Law and order (politics)|law and order]]",<ref name="hnn greenberg">{{cite news |title= Civil Rights: Let 'Em Wiretap!|last= Greenberg|first= David|author-link= David Greenberg (historian)|date=October 22, 2001|publisher= History News Network|url= http://hnn.us/articles/366.html}}</ref> which appealed to many voters angry with the hundreds of violent riots that had taken place across the country in the previous few years. Following the murder of [[Martin Luther King Jr.|Martin Luther King]] in April 1968, there was [[King-assassination riots|massive rioting in inner city areas]]. The police were overwhelmed and President Johnson decided to call out the U.S. Army. Nixon also opposed [[Desegregation busing|forced busing to desegregate schools]].<ref name="'70s 265">{{cite book|title= How We Got Here: The '70s|last= Frum|first= David|author-link= David Frum|year= 2000|publisher= Basic Books|location= New York, New York|isbn= 978-0-465-04195-4|page= [https://archive.org/details/howwegothere70sd00frum/page/265 265]|url= https://archive.org/details/howwegothere70sd00frum/page/265}}</ref> Proclaiming himself a supporter of civil rights, he recommended education as the solution rather than militancy. During the campaign, Nixon proposed government tax incentives to African Americans for small businesses and home improvements in their existing neighborhoods.<ref>Conrad Black, (2007), p. 525.</ref>

During the campaign, Nixon also used as a theme his opposition to the decisions of Chief Justice [[Earl Warren]], pledging to "remake the Supreme Court."<ref>{{cite magazine| last=Hindley| first=Meredith| title=Supremely Contentious: The Transformation of "Advice and Consent"| magazine=Humanities| publisher=National Endowment for the Humanities| date=October 2009| volume=30| issue=5| url=https://www.neh.gov/humanities/2009/septemberoctober/feature/supremely-contentious| access-date=February 22, 2022}}</ref> Many conservatives were critical of Chief Justice Warren for using the Supreme Court to promote liberal policies in the fields of [[civil rights]], [[civil liberties]], and the [[separation of church and state]]. Nixon promised that if he were elected president, he would appoint justices who would take a less-active role in creating social policy.<ref name="abe fortas">{{cite book| title = Abe Fortas | author = Laura Kalman| publisher = [[Yale University Press]]| year = 1990 | url = https://archive.org/details/abefortasbiograp00kalm | url-access = registration | access-date = October 20, 2008 | isbn = 978-0-300-04669-4 }}</ref> In another campaign promise, he pledged to end the [[Conscription in the United States|draft]].<ref name="evans">{{cite web | url=http://www.shsu.edu/~his_ncp/VolArm.html | title=The All-Volunteer Army After Twenty Years: Recruiting in the Modern Era | author=Thomas W. Evans | publisher=[[Sam Houston State University]] | date=Summer 1993 | access-date=December 31, 2007 | url-status=dead | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130808222147/http://www.shsu.edu/~his_ncp/VolArm.html | archive-date=August 8, 2013 | df=mdy-all }}</ref> During the 1960s, Nixon had been impressed by a paper he had read by Professor [[Martin Anderson (economist)|Martin Anderson]] of [[Columbia University]]. Anderson had argued in the paper for an end to the draft and the creation of an all-volunteer army.<ref name="aitken">{{cite book | last=Aitken | first=Jonathan | title=Nixon: A Life | publisher=[[Regnery Publishing]] | year=1996 | isbn=978-0-89526-720-7}} pp. 396–397.</ref> Nixon also saw ending the draft as an effective way to undermine the [[Opposition to the Vietnam War|anti-Vietnam war movement]], since he believed affluent college-age youths would stop protesting the war once their own possibility of having to fight in it was gone.<ref>{{cite book | last=Ambrose | first=Stephen | author-link=Stephen Ambrose | title=Nixon, Volume Two: The Triumph of a Politician 1962–1972 | publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]] | year=1989}} pp. 264–266.</ref>

Humphrey, meanwhile, promised to continue and expand the [[Great Society]] welfare programs started by President Johnson, and to continue the Johnson Administration's "[[War on poverty|War on Poverty]]". He also promised to continue the efforts of Presidents Kennedy and Johnson, and the Supreme Court, in promoting the expansion of civil rights and civil liberties for minority groups. However, Humphrey also felt constrained for most of his campaign in voicing any opposition to the Vietnam War policies of President Johnson, due to his fear that Johnson would reject any peace proposals he made and undermine his campaign. As a result, early in his campaign Humphrey often found himself the target of anti-war protestors, some of whom heckled and disrupted his campaign rallies.

===Humphrey's comeback and the October surprise===
After the Democratic Convention in late August, Humphrey trailed Nixon by double digits in most [[Historical polling for U.S. Presidential elections#1968 United States presidential election|polls]], and his chances seemed hopeless. Many within Humphrey's campaign saw their real goal as avoiding the potential humiliation of finishing behind Wallace in the electoral college vote (if not necessarily the popular vote), rather than having any serious chance of defeating Nixon. According to ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine, "The old Democratic coalition was disintegrating, with untold numbers of blue-collar workers responding to Wallace's blandishments, Negroes threatening to sit out the election, liberals disaffected over the Vietnam War, the South lost. The war chest was almost empty, and the party's machinery, neglected by Lyndon Johnson, creaked in disrepair."<ref>''Time'' November 15, 1968</ref> Calling for "the politics of joy", and using the still-powerful [[Trade union|labor unions]] as his base, Humphrey fought back. In order to distance himself from Johnson, and to take advantage of the Democratic plurality in voter registration, Humphrey stopped being identified in ads as "Vice-President Hubert Humphrey", instead being labelled "Democratic candidate Hubert Humphrey".

Humphrey attacked Wallace as a racist bigot who appealed to the darker impulses of Americans. Wallace had been rising in the polls as a result of tailoring his message to audiences outside of his southern strongholds by using anti-establishment rhetoric and attacks on "concentrated wealth", with Wallace's polling numbers peaking at 21% nationally in late September and early October. However, Wallace's momentum went into reverse after he selected [[Curtis LeMay]] as his running mate. Curtis LeMay's suggestion of using tactical nuclear weapons in Vietnam conjured up the worst memories of the [[Barry Goldwater presidential campaign, 1964|1964 Goldwater campaign]].{{sfn|Perlstein|2008}} Labor unions also undertook a major effort to win back union members who were supporting Wallace, with some substantial success. Polling numbers that had showed Wallace winning almost one-half of union members in the summer of 1968 went increasingly into sharp decline as the election campaign progressed into the fall up to early November election day. As election day approached and Wallace's support in the North, Midwest and West began to wane, Humphrey finally began to climb in the polls.

In October, Humphrey—who was rising sharply in the polls due to the sharp decline of the Wallace polling—began to distance himself publicly from the Johnson administration on the Vietnam War, calling for a bombing halt. The key turning point for Humphrey's campaign came when President Johnson officially announced a bombing halt, and even a possible peace deal, the weekend before the election. The "Halloween Peace" gave Humphrey's campaign a badly needed boost. In addition, Senator Eugene McCarthy finally endorsed a vote for Humphrey in late October after previously refusing to do so, and by election day the polls were reporting a dead heat.<ref>Theodore H. White, ''The Making of the President, 1968'' (1970)</ref>

===Nixon campaign sabotage of peace talks===
The Nixon campaign had anticipated a possible "[[October surprise]]", a peace agreement produced by the Paris negotiations; as such an agreement would be a boost to Humphrey, Nixon thwarted any last-minute chances of a "Halloween Peace". Nixon told campaign aide and his future [[White House Chief of Staff]] [[H. R. Haldeman]] to put a "monkey wrench" into an early end to the war.<ref name=PBaker>{{cite news |last=Baker |first= Peter |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/02/us/politics/nixon-tried-to-spoil-johnsons-vietnam-peace-talks-in-68-notes-show.html?mcubz=0 |newspaper= New York Times |title= Nixon Tried to Spoil Johnson's Peace Talks in '68, Notes Show|date= January 3, 2017 }}</ref> Johnson was enraged and said that Nixon had "blood on his hands", and that [[Senate Minority Leader]] [[Everett Dirksen]] agreed with Johnson that such action was "treason".<ref>Mark Lisheron. [http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/12/05/1205lbjtapes.html "In tapes, LBJ accuses Nixon of treason"]. [[Austin American-Statesman]]. December 5, 2008. "Johnson tells Sen. Everett Dirksen, the Republican minority leader, that it will be Nixon's responsibility if the South Vietnamese don't participate in the peace talks. 'This is treason', LBJ says to Dirksen."</ref><ref>[[KC Johnson|Robert "KC" Johnson]]. [http://hnn.us/articles/60446.html "Did Nixon Commit Treason in 1968? What The New LBJ Tapes Reveal"]. [[History News Network]], January 26, 2009. Transcript from {{YouTube|ubVzX3y_yVE|audio recording}} of [[Lyndon B. Johnson|President Johnson]]: "This is treason."<br />"I know."</ref> Defense Secretary [[Clark Clifford]] considered the moves an illegal violation of the [[Logan Act]].<ref name="Clifford">{{cite book| last = Clark M. Clifford| author-link = Clark Clifford| title = Counsel to the President: A Memoir| year = 1991| edition = May 21, 1991| page = [https://archive.org/details/counseltopreside00clar/page/709 709]| publisher = Random House| isbn = 978-0-394-56995-6| url = https://archive.org/details/counseltopreside00clar/page/709}} [https://books.google.com/books?id=eeJ4AAAAMAAJ p. 582.] "The activities of the Nixon team went far beyond the bounds of justifiable political combat. It constituted direct interference in the activities of the executive branch and the responsibilities of the Chief Executive, the only people with authority to negotiate on behalf of the nation. The activities of the Nixon campaign constituted a gross, even potentially illegal, interference in the security affairs of the nation by private individuals."</ref> A former director of the Nixon Library called it a "covert action" which "laid the skulduggery of his presidency".<ref name=PBaker />

[[Bryce Harlow]], former Eisenhower White House staff member, claimed to have "a double agent working in the White House... I kept Nixon informed." Harlow and Nixon's future [[National Security Advisor (United States)|National Security Advisor]] and [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]] [[Henry Kissinger]], who was friendly with both campaigns and guaranteed a job in either a Humphrey or Nixon administration, separately predicted Johnson's "bombing halt": "The word is out that we are making an effort to throw the election to Humphrey. Nixon has been told of it", Democratic senator George Smathers informed Johnson.<ref>[[Robert Dallek]] (2007), ''Nixon and Kissinger: Partners in Power'', HarperCollins, pp. 73–74.</ref>

Nixon asked [[Anna Chennault]] to be his "channel to Mr. [[Nguyễn Văn Thiệu|Thieu]]" in order to advise him to refuse participation in the talks, in what is sometimes described as the "Anna Chennault Affair".<ref name="history.state.gov">{{cite web|url= https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v07/ch5 |title= November 1–12, 1968: South Vietnamese Abstention From the Expanded Peace Conference; the Anna Chennault Affair |work= [[Office of the Historian]] |access-date= January 15, 2024 |archive-date= January 15, 2024 |archive-url=  https://web.archive.org/web/20240115035541/https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v07/ch5|url-status=live}}</ref> Thieu was promised a better deal under a Nixon administration.<ref name="Chanoff">{{cite book | last = [[Bùi Diễm]] with David Chanoff| title = In the Jaws of History|edition= April 1, 1999|page= 367 | publisher = Indiana University Press| isbn= 978-0-253-21301-3| year = 1999}} [https://books.google.com/books?id=XNlnzQk2678C&dq=%22Waiting+for+me+in+the+lobby+was+Anna+Chennault%22&pg=PA237 p. 237.] ''Waiting for me in the lobby was Anna Chennault. A few minutes later I was being introduced to Nixon and John Mitchell, his law partner and adviser. (...) Nixon (...) added that his staff would be in touch with me through John Mitchell and Anna Chennault.''</ref><ref name="history.state.gov"/> Chennault agreed and periodically reported to [[John N. Mitchell|John Mitchell]] that Thieu had no intention of attending a peace conference. On November 2, Chennault informed [[Bùi Diễm]], the South Vietnamese ambassador: "I have just heard from my boss in Albuquerque who says his boss [Nixon] is going to win. And you tell your boss [Thieu] to hold on a while longer."<ref>{{cite web|url= https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v07/d212 |title= Foreign Relations of the United States, 1964–1968, Volume VII, Vietnam, September 1968–January 1969 |work= [[Office of the Historian]] |access-date= January 15, 2024 |archive-date= January 15, 2024 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240115035416/https://history.state.gov/historicaldocuments/frus1964-68v07/d212 |url-status=live}}</ref> In 1997, Chennault admitted that, "I was constantly in touch with Nixon and Mitchell".<ref>Dallek, pp. 74–75.</ref> The effort also involved Texas Senator [[John Tower]] and Kissinger, who traveled to Paris on behalf of the Nixon campaign. [[William Bundy]] stated that Kissinger obtained "no useful inside information" from his trip to Paris, and "almost any experienced Hanoi watcher might have come to the same conclusion". While Kissinger may have "hinted that his advice was based on contacts with the Paris delegation", this sort of "self-promotion ... is at worst a minor and not uncommon practice, quite different from getting and reporting real secrets".<ref>Dallek, pp. 73–74.</ref>

Johnson learned of the Nixon-Chennault effort because the [[National Security Agency|NSA]] was intercepting communications in Vietnam.<ref>[[Thomas Powers]]. [https://books.google.com/books?id=Yi2GAAAAMAAJ "The Man who Kept the Secrets: Richard Helms & the CIA"]. [[Alfred A. Knopf]], 1979, [https://books.google.com/books?id=Yi2GAAAAMAAJ&q=%22during+the+week+which+ended+Sunday%2C+October+27%2C+the+National+Security+Agency+intercepted+a+radio+message+from+the+South+Vietnamese+Embassy+to+Saigon+explicitly+urging+Thieu+to+stand+fast+against+an+agreement+until+after+the+election.+As+soon+as+learned+of+the+cable+he+ordered+the+FBI+to+place+Madame+under+surveillance+and+to+install+a+phone+tap+on+the+South+Vietnamese+Embassy%22 p.198.] "during the week which ended Sunday, October 27 [1968], the National Security Agency intercepted a radio message from the South Vietnamese Embassy to Saigon explicitly urging [[Nguyen Van Thieu|(Nguyen Van) Thieu]] to stand fast against an agreement until after the election. As soon as Johnson learned of the cable he ordered the FBI to place Madame (Anna) Chennault under surveillance and to install a phone tap on the South Vietnamese Embassy"</ref> In response, Johnson ordered NSA surveillance of Chennault and wire-tapped the South Vietnamese embassy and members of the Nixon campaign.<ref>Dallek, p. 75.</ref> He did not leak the information to the public because he did not want to "shock America" with the revelation,<ref>[[KC Johnson|Robert "KC" Johnson]]. [http://hnn.us/articles/60446.html "Did Nixon Commit Treason in 1968? What the New LBJ Tapes Reveal"]. [[History News Network]], January 26, 2009. Transcript from {{YouTube|ubVzX3y_yVE|audio recording}} of [[Lyndon B. Johnson|President Johnson]]: "Now, I can identify 'em, because I know who's doing this. I don't want to identify it. I think it would shock America if a principal candidate was playing with a source like this on a matter this important. (...) I don't want to do that."</ref> nor reveal that the NSA was intercepting communications in Vietnam.<ref name=BBCTreason>{{cite news |first=David|last=Taylor|title=The Lyndon Johnson tapes: Richard Nixon's 'treason'|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21768668 |location = London |work=[[BBC News]] |date=March 15, 2013| access-date=March 18, 2013}}</ref> Johnson did make information available to Humphrey, but at this point Humphrey thought he was going to win the election, so he did not reveal the information to the public. Humphrey later regretted this as a mistake.<ref>[[Jules Witcover]]. "The Making of an Ink-Stained Wretch: Half a Century Pounding the Political Beat". [[Johns Hopkins University Press]], 2005, [https://books.google.com/books?id=ePRIONzLmEoC&dq=%22Johnson+had+turned+over+incriminating+evidence+about+Chennault%27s+activities+to+Humphrey+for+use+in+the+final+days+of+the+campaign%22&pg=PA131 p131.] "[[Lyndon B. Johnson|Johnson]] had turned over incriminating evidence about (Anna) Chennault's activities to [[Hubert Humphrey|(Hubert) Humphrey's]] for use in the final days of the campaign. The idea was that such an act of treason would sink Nixon and elect Humphrey. But Humphrey declined to use it, partly because he felt he could not reveal the sources of the classified material (...) Later, in his [https://books.google.com/books?id=L6u94c-7wX8C&q=The+Education+of+a+Public+Man memoir], Humphrey recounted a memo of his own at the time: "I wonder if I should have blown the whistle on Anna Chennault and Nixon. I wish [his italics] I could have been sure. Damn [[Nguyen Van Thieu|Thieu]]. Dragging his feet this past weekend hurt us. I wonder if that call did it. If Nixon knew."</ref> The South Vietnamese government withdrew from peace negotiations, and Nixon publicly offered to go to Saigon to help the negotiations.<ref>[https://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/05/us/05tapes.html?_r=0 "In Tapes, Johnson Accused Nixon's Associates of Treason"]. ''[[The New York Times]]'', December 4, 2008. Retrieved March 19, 2013.</ref> A promising "peace bump" ended up in "shambles" for the Democratic Party.<ref name=BBCTreason />

===Election===
The election on November 5, 1968, proved to be extremely close, and it was not until the following morning that the television news networks were able to declare Nixon the winner. The key states proved to be California, Ohio, and Illinois, all of which Nixon won by three percentage points or less. Had Humphrey carried all three of these states, he would have won the election. Had he carried only two of them or just California among them, George Wallace would have succeeded in his aim of preventing an electoral college majority for any candidate, and the decision would have been given to the House of Representatives, at the time controlled by the Democratic Party. Nixon won the popular vote with a plurality of 512,000 votes, or a victory margin of about one percentage point. In the electoral college Nixon's victory was larger, as he carried 32 states with 301 electoral votes, compared to Humphrey's 13 states and 191 electoral votes and Wallace's five states and 46 electoral votes.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/national.php?year=1968|title=1968 Presidential General Election Results|last=Leip|first=David|website=David Leip's Atlas of Presidential Elections}}</ref>

Richard Nixon was able to win the Electoral College, dominating several regions in the [[Western United States]], [[Midwestern United States|Midwest]], [[Upland South]], and portions of the [[Northeastern United States|Northeast]], while winning the popular vote by a relatively small 511,944 votes over Democratic nominee [[Hubert Humphrey]]. Democratic nominee Hubert Humphrey performed relatively well in the Northeast and Upper Midwest. Wallace finished last with five states in the [[Deep South]]; he is the most recent [[third party (United States)|third-party]] candidate to win any states.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|url=https://www.270towin.com/historical-presidential-elections/|title=Historical U.S. Presidential Elections 1789-2016|website=www.270towin.com|access-date=2021-12-20}}</ref> This is the first time that the Republican popular vote margin was under 5 points since [[1896 United States presidential election|1896]].

Out of all the states that Nixon had previously carried in 1960, Maine and Washington were the only two states that did not vote for Nixon again in 1968, although Nixon would carry them four years later during his re-election campaign in 1972. He also carried eight states that voted for John F. Kennedy in 1960: Illinois, New Jersey, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, New Mexico, Nevada and Delaware. This was the last time until 1988 that the state of Washington voted Democratic and until 1992 that Connecticut, Maine, and Michigan voted Democratic in the general election. Nixon was also the last Republican candidate to win a presidential election without carrying Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas. This is the first time which the Republican candidate captured the White House without carrying Michigan, Minnesota, Maine and Pennsylvania. He would be the last Republican candidate to carry Minnesota (four years later, in 1972), as of 2020.<ref name=":0" /> This is also the first time since 1916 that Minnesota voted for the candidate who did not eventually win.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.270towin.com/1916_Election/?m=In+1916,+Woodrow+Wilson+won+the+election+while+losing+Minnesota|title=Presidential Election of 1916|website=www.270towin.com|access-date=2019-02-01}}</ref>

Remarkably, Nixon won the election despite winning only two of the six states ([[Arizona]] and [[South Carolina]]) won by Republican Barry Goldwater four years earlier. He remains the only presidential candidate to win in spite of defending such a low number of his own party's states. All of the remaining four States carried by Goldwater were carried by Wallace in 1968. They would be won by Nixon in 1972.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /> Four of the fives states won by Wallace had voted for Goldwater.<ref>{{cite book |last=Murphy |first=Paul |date=1974 |title=Political Parties In American History, Volume 3, 1890-present |publisher=[[G. P. Putnam's Sons]]}}</ref>

Of the 3,130 counties/districts/independent cities making returns, Nixon won in 1,859 (59.39%) while Humphrey carried 693 (22.14%). Wallace was victorious in 578 counties (18.47%), all of which (with one exception of [[Pemiscot County, Missouri]]) were located in the [[Southern United States|South]].<ref name=":1" />

Nixon said that Humphrey left a gracious message congratulating him, noting, "I know exactly how he felt. I know how it feels to [[1960 United States presidential election|lose a close one]]."<ref name="1968 Year In Review, UPI.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.upi.com/Audio/Year_in_Review/Events-of-1968/1968-Presidential-Election/12303153093431-2/ |title=1968 Year In Review |publisher=UPI|access-date=June 17, 2010}}</ref>

==Results==
[[File:PresidentialCounty1968Colorbrewer.gif|thumb|right|400px|Election results by county.{{legend|Red|[[Richard Nixon]]|border=1px #AAAAAA solid}}
{{legend|Blue|[[Hubert Humphrey]]|border=1px #AAAAAA solid}}
{{legend|Lime|[[George Wallace]]|border=1px #AAAAAA solid}}]]
[[File:1968 Presidential Election, Results by Congressional District.png|thumb|right|250px|Results by congressional district.]]
Nixon's victory is often considered a [[realigning election]] in American politics. From 1932 to 1964, the Democratic Party was undoubtedly the majority party, winning seven out of nine presidential elections, and their agenda influenced policies undertaken by the Republican [[Eisenhower administration]]. The 1968 election reversed the situation completely. From 1968 until 2004, Republicans won seven out of ten presidential elections, and its policies clearly affected those enacted by the Democratic [[Clinton administration]] via the [[Third Way]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/10/a_realigning_election.html|title=A Realigning Election? {{!}} RealClearPolitics|website=www.realclearpolitics.com|access-date=2019-02-01}}</ref><ref name=":0" />

The election was a seismic event in the long-term realignment in Democratic Party support, especially in the South.<ref name="Misunderstanding the Southern Realignment">{{cite web|url=http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2010/09/09/misunderstanding_the_southern_realignment_107084.html |title=Misunderstanding the Southern Realignment |publisher=RealClearPolitics.com|access-date=March 19, 2014}}</ref> Nationwide, the bitter splits over civil rights, the new left, the Vietnam War, and other "culture wars" were slow to heal. Democrats could no longer count on white Southern support for the presidency, as Republicans made major gains in suburban areas and areas filled with Northern migrants.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Silent Majority: Suburban Politics in the Sunbelt|last=Lassiter|first=Matthew|publisher=Princeton University Press|year=2007|pages=2, 17}}</ref> The rural Democratic "[[courthouse clique]]s" in the South lost power. While Democrats controlled local and state politics in the South, Republicans usually won the presidential vote. Some estimates suggest that Humphrey won less than ten percent of the white vote in the former Confederacy,<ref>Gould (1993) p 165; White (1969) p 401</ref> although other sources have placed this figure closer to twenty percent.<ref>{{cite book|last=Black|first=Earl|chapter=Competing Responses to the New Southern Politics: Republican and Democratic Southern Strategies, 1964-76|title=Perspectives on the American South: An Annual Review of Society, Politics, and Culture|editor-last1=Reed|editor-first1=John Shelton|editor-last2=Black|editor-first2=Merle|year=2021|isbn=9781136764882}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Phillips|first=Kevin P.|title=The Emerging Republican Majority|year=1969|page=207|isbn=0870000586|location=[[New Rochelle, New York|New Rochelle]], [[New York (state)|New York]]|publisher=Arlington House}}</ref> Nevertheless, there is little doubt that a majority of Humphreyʼs support in the former Confederacy came from black voters, who were now voting in full force. From 1968 until 2004, only two Democrats were elected president, both native Southerners – [[Jimmy Carter]] of Georgia and Bill Clinton of Arkansas. Not until 2008 did a Northern Democrat, [[Barack Obama]] of Illinois, again win a presidential election. In 2020, another Northern Democrat, [[Joe Biden]] of Delaware, won a presidential election.<ref name=":0" /><ref>Michael A. Cohen, ''American Maelstrom: The 1968 Election and the Politics of Division'' (2016)</ref>

Another important result of this election was that it led to several reforms in how the Democratic Party chose its presidential nominees. In 1969, the [[McGovern–Fraser Commission]] adopted a set of rules for the states to follow in selecting convention delegates. These rules reduced the influence of party leaders on the nominating process and provided greater representation for minorities, women, and youth. The reforms led most states to adopt laws requiring primary elections, instead of party leaders, to choose delegates.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://poliscinews.wordpress.com/tag/mcgovern-fraser-commission/|title=McGovern-Fraser Commission {{!}} Politics Matters|language=en|access-date=2019-02-01}}</ref>

After 1968, the only way to win the party's presidential nomination became through the primary process; Humphrey turned out to be the last nominee of either major party to win his party's nomination without having directly competed in the primaries. Interestingly, this remains the most recent presidential election in which the incumbent president was not nominated for a presidential term despite being eligible, and the only such election to occur after the Twenty-second Amendment came into effect. It is also the last election in which any third-party candidate won an entire state's electoral votes, with Wallace carrying five states.<ref name=":0" /> This is one of two times in American history that a former vice president and an incumbent vice president were major party nominees, after 1800. {{As of|2022}}, this is the last time that all 50 states and the District of Columbia would vote under a winner-take-all system. Maine would begin allocating its electoral votes by congressional district in [[1972 United States presidential election in Maine|1972]] and Nebraska would begin doing the same in [[1992 United States presidential election in Nebraska|1992]].

This election was the last time until 1992 that the Democratic nominee won Connecticut, Maine, and Michigan and the last until 1988 that Washington voted Democratic, and the last time a Republican won the presidency without winning Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas.<ref name=":0" /> It was also the first time since 1888 that [[bellwether]] [[Coös County, New Hampshire]] did not support the winning candidate.<ref>The Political Graveyard; [http://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/NH/CO-votes.html Coös County Votes for President]<br />David Leip's Atlas of US Presidential Elections; [http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=2016&fips=33&f=0&off=0&elect=0 Presidential Election, 2016 in New Hampshire]</ref> Nixon became the first Republican to win without Minnesota, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Maine. Minnesota had not voted for the losing candidate since 1916.

This was the first time since 1928 that North Carolina voted for a Republican, and the first since 1912 (only the second and final time since 1852) that Maine and Vermont did not support the same party. Similarly, it is the second of two times that Oregon and Washington did not support the same party since 1920 (the other being in 1948). By losing New York, Nixon became the third victorious candidate to lose his home state, which also occurred in 1844, 1916, and 2016. This election and 1916 are the only times a winning presidential and vice-presidential each lost their home states.

Despite the narrow (0.7%) difference in the popular vote, Humphrey took only 35.5% of the electoral vote. This disparity prompted the introduction of the [[Electoral College (United States)#1969-1970: Bayh–Celler amendment|Bayh–Celler amendment]] in Congress, which would have replaced the Electoral College with a direct election of the presidency. The effort was not successful and the Electoral College is still in force.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://mentalfloss.com/article/13012/first-and-last-serious-challenge-electoral-college-system|title=The First (And Last) Serious Challenge to the Electoral College System|date=2014-12-06|website=mentalfloss.com|language=en|access-date=2019-02-01}}</ref>

===Results===
{{start U.S. presidential ticket box| pv_footnote=| ev_footnote=}}
{{U.S. presidential ticket box row| name=[[Richard Nixon]]| party=[[United States Republican Party|Republican]]| state=[[New York (state)|New York]]{{efn|name="California 1960"}}| pv=31,783,783| pv_pct=43.42%| ev=301| vp_name=[[Spiro Agnew]]| vp_state=[[Maryland]]}}
{{U.S. presidential ticket box row| name=[[Hubert Humphrey]]| party=[[United States Democratic Party|Democratic]]| state=[[Minnesota]]| pv=31,271,839| pv_pct=42.72%| ev=191| vp_name=[[Edmund Muskie]]| vp_state=[[Maine]]}}
{{U.S. presidential ticket box row| name=[[George Wallace]]| party=[[American Independent Party|American Independent]]| state=[[Alabama]]| pv=9,901,118| pv_pct=13.53%| ev=46{{efn|A North Carolina faithless Republican elector voted for Wallace/LeMay}}| vp_name=[[Curtis LeMay]]| vp_state=[[California]]<ref>{{cite web| url=http://frwebgate.access.gpo.gov/cgi-bin/getdoc.cgi?dbname=107_senate_manual&docid=sd001_107-41| title=Electoral Votes for President and Vice President| work=Senate Manual| publisher=Government Printing Office| year=2005| access-date=March 14, 2006}}</ref>}}
{{U.S. presidential ticket box other| footnote=| pv=243,259| pv_pct=0.33%}}
{{end U.S. presidential ticket box| pv=73,199,999| ev=538| to_win=270}}
'''Source (Popular Vote):''' {{Leip PV source 2| year=1968| as of=August 7, 2005}}
'''Source (Electoral Vote):''' {{National Archives EV source| year=1968| as of=August 7, 2005}}

{{bar box
|title=Popular vote
|titlebar=#ddd
|width=600px
|barwidth=410px
|bars=
{{bar percent|'''Nixon'''|{{party color|Republican Party (US)}}|43.42}}
{{bar percent|Humphrey|{{party color|Democratic Party (US)}}|42.72}}
{{bar percent|Wallace|#ff7f00|13.53}}
{{bar percent|Others|#777777|0.33}}
}}
{{bar box
|title=Electoral vote
|titlebar=#ddd
|width=600px
|barwidth=410px
|bars=
{{bar percent|'''Nixon'''|{{party color|Republican Party (US)}}|55.95}}
{{bar percent|Humphrey|{{party color|Democratic Party (US)}}|35.50}}
{{bar percent|Wallace|#ff7f00|8.55}}
}}

===Geography of results===
[[File:1968 Electoral Map.png|650px|thumb|left]]
<gallery perrow="3" widths="500px" heights="317px">
File:1968 United States presidential election results map by county.svg|Results by county, shaded according to winning candidate's percentage of the vote
1968 US presidential election by congressional district.svg|Results by district, shaded according to winning candidate's percentage of the vote
</gallery>

====Cartographic gallery====
<gallery perrow="5" widths="185px" heights="113px">
File:PresidentialCounty1968Colorbrewer.gif|Presidential election results by county
File:RepublicanPresidentialCounty1968Colorbrewer.gif|Republican presidential election results by county
File:DemocraticPresidentialCounty1968Colorbrewer.gif|Democratic presidential election results by county
File:AmericanIndependentPresidentialCounty1968Colorbrewer.gif|American Independent presidential election results by county
File:OtherPresidentialCounty1968Colorbrewer.gif|"Other" presidential election results by county
File:CartogramPresidentialCounty1968Colorbrewer.gif|[[Cartogram]] of presidential election results by county
File:CartogramRepublicanPresidentialCounty1968Colorbrewer.gif|[[Cartogram]] of Republican presidential election results by county
File:CartogramDemocraticPresidentialCounty1968Colorbrewer.gif|[[Cartogram]] of Democratic presidential election results by county
File:CartogramAmericanIndependentPresidentialCounty1968Colorbrewer.gif|[[Cartogram]] of American Independent presidential election results by county
File:CartogramOtherPresidentialCounty1968Colorbrewer.gif|[[Cartogram]] of "Other" presidential election results by county
</gallery>

===Results by state===
Source: <ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/data.php?year=1968&datatype=national&def=1&f=0&off=0&elect=0|title=1968 Presidential General Election Data – National|access-date=March 18, 2013}}</ref>
{|class="wikitable"
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
|States/districts won by [[Richard Nixon|Nixon]]/[[Spiro Agnew|Agnew]]
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|States/districts won by [[Hubert Humphrey|Humphrey]]/[[Edmund Muskie|Muskie]]
|-{{Party shading/American Independent}}
|States/districts won by [[George Wallace|Wallace]]/[[Curtis LeMay|LeMay]]
|}
<div style="overflow:auto">
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:right"
|-
! colspan=2 |
! style="text-align:center;" colspan="3"| Richard Nixon<br />Republican
! style="text-align:center;" colspan="3"| Hubert H. Humphrey<br />Democratic
! style="text-align:center;" colspan="3"| George Wallace<br />American Independent
! style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Margin
!Margin<br>swing{{Efn|Percentage point difference in margin from the [[1964 United States presidential election|1964 election]], of Republican over Democrat margins}}
! style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| State Total
|-
! align=center | State
! style="text-align:center; font-size: 60%" data-sort-type="number" | electoral<br />votes
! style="text-align:center;" data-sort- type="number"| #
! style="text-align:center;" data-sort- type="number"| %
! style="text-align:center; font-size: 60%" data-sort-type="number" | electoral<br />votes
! style="text-align:center;" data-sort- type="number"| #
! style="text-align:center;" data-sort- type="number"| %
! style="text-align:center; font-size: 60%" data-sort-type="number" | electoral<br />votes
! style="text-align:center;" data-sort- type="number"| #
! style="text-align:center;" data-sort- type="number"| %
! style="text-align:center; font-size: 60%" data-sort-type="number" | electoral<br />votes
! style="text-align:center;" data-sort- type="number"| #
! style="text-align:center;" data-sort- type="number"| %
!%
! style="text-align:center; font-size: 60%" data-sort-type="number" | #
!
|-{{Party shading/American Independent}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Alabama|Alabama]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 10
| 146,923
| 13.99
| -
| 196,579
| 18.72
| -
| 691,425
| 65.86
| 10
| -494,846
| -47.13
| -83.8%
| 1,049,917
| style="text-align:center;" | AL
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Alaska|Alaska]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 3
| 37,600
| 45.28
| 3
| 35,411
| 42.65
| -
| 10,024
| 12.07
| -
| 2,189
| 2.64
|34.5%
| 83,035
| style="text-align:center;" | AK
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Arizona|Arizona]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 5
| 266,721
| 54.78
| 5
| 170,514
| 35.02
| -
| 46,573
| 9.56
| -
| 96,207
| 19.76
|18.8%
| 486,936
| style="text-align:center;" | AZ
|-{{Party shading/American Independent}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Arkansas|Arkansas]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 6
| 189,062
| 31.01
| -
| 184,901
| 30.33
| -
| 235,627
| 38.65
| 6
| -46,565
| -7.64
|13.1%
| 609,590
| style="text-align:center;" | AR
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in California|California]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 40
| 3,467,664
| 47.82
| 40
| 3,244,318
| 44.74
| -
| 487,270
| 6.72
| -
| 223,346
| 3.08
|21.4%
| 7,251,587
| style="text-align:center;" | CA
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Colorado|Colorado]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 6
| 409,345
| 50.46
| 6
| 335,174
| 41.32
| -
| 60,813
| 7.50
| -
| 74,171
| 9.14
|32.2%
| 811,199
| style="text-align:center;" | CO
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Connecticut|Connecticut]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 8
| 556,721
| 44.32
| -
| 621,561
| 49.48
| 8
| 76,650
| 6.10
| -
| -64,840
| -5.16
|29.5%
| 1,256,232
| style="text-align:center;" | CT
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Delaware|Delaware]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 3
| 96,714
| 45.12
| 3
| 89,194
| 41.61
| -
| 28,459
| 13.28
| -
| 7,520
| 3.51
|25.7%
| 214,367
| style="text-align:center;" | DE
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in the District of Columbia|D.C.]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 3
| 31,012
| 18.18
| -
| 139,566
| 81.82
| 3
| -
| -
| -
| -108,554
| -63.64
|7.4%
| 170,578
| style="text-align:center;" | DC
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Florida|Florida]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 14
| 886,804
| 40.53
| 14
| 676,794
| 30.93
| -
| 624,207
| 28.53
| -
| 210,010
| 9.60
|11.9%
| 2,187,805
| style="text-align:center;" | FL
|-{{Party shading/American Independent}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Georgia|Georgia]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 12
| 380,111
| 30.40
| -
| 334,440
| 26.75
| -
| 535,550
| 42.83
| 12
| -155,439
| -12.43
| -11.9%
| 1,250,266
| style="text-align:center;" | GA
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Hawaii|Hawaii]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 4
| 91,425
| 38.70
| -
| 141,324
| 59.83
| 4
| 3,469
| 1.47
| -
| -49,899
| -21.12
|36.4%
| 236,218
| style="text-align:center;" | HI
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Idaho|Idaho]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 4
| 165,369
| 56.79
| 4
| 89,273
| 30.66
| -
| 36,541
| 12.55
| -
| 76,096
| 26.13
|28.0%
| 291,183
| style="text-align:center;" | ID
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Illinois|Illinois]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 26
| 2,174,774
| 47.08
| 26
| 2,039,814
| 44.15
| -
| 390,958
| 8.46
| -
| 134,960
| 2.92
|21.9%
| 4,619,749
| style="text-align:center;" | IL
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Indiana|Indiana]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 13
| 1,067,885
| 50.29
| 13
| 806,659
| 37.99
| -
| 243,108
| 11.45
| -
| 261,226
| 12.30
|24.7%
| 2,123,597
| style="text-align:center;" | IN
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Iowa|Iowa]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 9
| 619,106
| 53.01
| 9
| 476,699
| 40.82
| -
| 66,422
| 5.69
| -
| 142,407
| 12.19
|36.2%
| 1,167,931
| style="text-align:center;" | IA
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Kansas|Kansas]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 7
| 478,674
| 54.84
| 7
| 302,996
| 34.72
| -
| 88,921
| 10.19
| -
| 175,678
| 20.13
|29.2%
| 872,783
| style="text-align:center;" | KS
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Kentucky|Kentucky]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 9
| 462,411
| 43.79
| 9
| 397,541
| 37.65
| -
| 193,098
| 18.29
| -
| 64,870
| 6.14
|34.5%
| 1,055,893
| style="text-align:center;" | KY
|-{{Party shading/American Independent}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Louisiana|Louisiana]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 10
| 257,535
| 23.47
| -
| 309,615
| 28.21
| -
| 530,300
| 48.32
| 10
| -220,685
| -20.11
| -18.4%
| 1,097,450
| style="text-align:center;" | LA
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Maine|Maine]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 4
| 169,254
| 43.07
| -
| 217,312
| 55.30
| 4
| 6,370
| 1.62
| -
| -48,058
| -12.23
|25.4%
| 392,936
| style="text-align:center;" | ME
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Maryland|Maryland]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 10
| 517,995
| 41.94
| -
| 538,310
| 43.59
| 10
| 178,734
| 14.47
| -
| -20,315
| -1.64
|29.3%
| 1,235,039
| style="text-align:center;" | MD
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Massachusetts|Massachusetts]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 14
| 766,844
| 32.89
| -
| 1,469,218
| 63.01
| 14
| 87,088
| 3.73
| -
| -702,374
| -30.12
|22.6%
| 2,331,752
| style="text-align:center;" | MA
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Michigan|Michigan]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 21
| 1,370,665
| 41.46
| -
| 1,593,082
| 48.18
| 21
| 331,968
| 10.04
| -
| -222,417
| -6.73
|26.9%
| 3,306,250
| style="text-align:center;" | MI
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Minnesota|Minnesota]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 10
| 658,643
| 41.46
| -
| 857,738
| 54.00
| 10
| 68,931
| 4.34
| -
| -199,095
| -12.53
|15.2%
| 1,588,510
| style="text-align:center;" | MN
|-{{Party shading/American Independent}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Mississippi|Mississippi]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 7
| 88,516
| 13.52
| -
| 150,644
| 23.02
| -
| 415,349
| 63.46
| 7
| -264,705
| -40.44
| -4.7%
| 654,509
| style="text-align:center;" | MS
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Missouri|Missouri]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 12
| 811,932
| 44.87
| 12
| 791,444
| 43.74
| -
| 206,126
| 11.39
| -
| 20,488
| 1.13
|29.2%
| 1,809,502
| style="text-align:center;" | MO
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Montana|Montana]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 4
| 138,835
| 50.60
| 4
| 114,117
| 41.59
| -
| 20,015
| 7.29
| -
| 24,718
| 9.01
|27.4%
| 274,404
| style="text-align:center;" | MT
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Nebraska|Nebraska]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 5
| 321,163
| 59.82
| 5
| 170,784
| 31.81
| -
| 44,904
| 8.36
| -
| 150,379
| 28.01
|33.2%
| 536,851
| style="text-align:center;" | NE
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Nevada|Nevada]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 3
| 73,188
| 47.46
| 3
| 60,598
| 39.29
| -
| 20,432
| 13.25
| -
| 12,590
| 8.16
|25.3%
| 154,218
| style="text-align:center;" | NV
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in New Hampshire|New Hampshire]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 4
| 154,903
| 52.10
| 4
| 130,589
| 43.93
| -
| 11,173
| 3.76
| -
| 24,314
| 8.18
|36.0%
| 297,298
| style="text-align:center;" | NH
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in New Jersey|New Jersey]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 17
| 1,325,467
| 46.10
| 17
| 1,264,206
| 43.97
| -
| 262,187
| 9.12
| -
| 61,261
| 2.13
|33.9%
| 2,875,395
| style="text-align:center;" | NJ
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in New Mexico|New Mexico]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 4
| 169,692
| 51.85
| 4
| 130,081
| 39.75
| -
| 25,737
| 7.86
| -
| 39,611
| 12.10
|31.1%
| 327,281
| style="text-align:center;" | NM
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in New York|New York]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 43
| 3,007,932
| 44.30
| -
| 3,378,470
| 49.76
| 43
| 358,864
| 5.29
| -
| -370,538
| -5.46
|31.8%
| 6,790,066
| style="text-align:center;" | NY
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in North Carolina|North Carolina]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 13
| 627,192
| 39.51
| 12
| 464,113
| 29.24
| -
| 496,188
| 31.26
| 1
| 131,004
| 8.25
|20.6%
| 1,587,493
| style="text-align:center;" | NC
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in North Dakota|North Dakota]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 4
| 138,669
| 55.94
| 4
| 94,769
| 38.23
| -
| 14,244
| 5.75
| -
| 43,900
| 17.71
|33.8%
| 247,882
| style="text-align:center;" | ND
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Ohio|Ohio]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 26
| 1,791,014
| 45.23
| 26
| 1,700,586
| 42.95
| -
| 467,495
| 11.81
| -
| 90,428
| 2.28
|28.2%
| 3,959,698
| style="text-align:center;" | OH
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Oklahoma|Oklahoma]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 8
| 449,697
| 47.68
| 8
| 301,658
| 31.99
| -
| 191,731
| 20.33
| -
| 148,039
| 15.70
|27.2%
| 943,086
| style="text-align:center;" | OK
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Oregon|Oregon]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 6
| 408,433
| 49.83
| 6
| 358,866
| 43.78
| -
| 49,683
| 6.06
| -
| 49,567
| 6.05
|33.8%
| 819,622
| style="text-align:center;" | OR
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Pennsylvania|Pennsylvania]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 29
| 2,090,017
| 44.02
| -
| 2,259,405
| 47.59
| 29
| 378,582
| 7.97
| -
| -169,388
| -3.57
|26.6%
| 4,747,928
| style="text-align:center;" | PA
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Rhode Island|Rhode Island]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 4
| 122,359
| 31.78
| -
| 246,518
| 64.03
| 4
| 15,678
| 4.07
| -
| -124,159
| -32.25
|29.5%
| 385,000
| style="text-align:center;" | RI
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in South Carolina|South Carolina]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 8
| 254,062
| 38.09
| 8
| 197,486
| 29.61
| -
| 215,430
| 32.30
| -
| 38,632
| 5.79
| -12.0%
| 666,982
| style="text-align:center;" | SC
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in South Dakota|South Dakota]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 4
| 149,841
| 53.27
| 4
| 118,023
| 41.96
| -
| 13,400
| 4.76
| -
| 31,818
| 11.31
|22.5%
| 281,264
| style="text-align:center;" | SD
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Tennessee|Tennessee]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 11
| 472,592
| 37.85
| 11
| 351,233
| 28.13
| -
| 424,792
| 34.02
| -
| 47,800
| 3.83
|14.8%
| 1,248,617
| style="text-align:center;" | TN
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Texas|Texas]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 25
| 1,227,844
| 39.87
| -
| 1,266,804
| 41.14
| 25
| 584,269
| 18.97
| -
| -38,960
| -1.27
|25.6%
| 3,079,406
| style="text-align:center;" | TX
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Utah|Utah]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 4
| 238,728
| 56.49
| 4
| 156,665
| 37.07
| -
| 26,906
| 6.37
| -
| 82,063
| 19.42
|29.1%
| 422,568
| style="text-align:center;" | UT
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Vermont|Vermont]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 3
| 85,142
| 52.75
| 3
| 70,255
| 43.53
| -
| 5,104
| 3.16
| -
| 14,887
| 9.22
|41.8%
| 161,404
| style="text-align:center;" | VT
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Virginia|Virginia]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 12
| 590,319
| 43.36
| 12
| 442,387
| 32.49
| -
| 321,833
| 23.64
| -
| 147,932
| 10.87
|18.2%
| 1,361,491
| style="text-align:center;" | VA
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Washington (state)|Washington]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 9
| 588,510
| 45.12
| -
| 616,037
| 47.23
| 9
| 96,990
| 7.44
| -
| -27,527
| -2.11
|22.5%
| 1,304,281
| style="text-align:center;" | WA
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in West Virginia|West Virginia]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 7
| 307,555
| 40.78
| -
| 374,091
| 49.60
| 7
| 72,560
| 9.62
| -
| -66,536
| -8.82
|27.1%
| 754,206
| style="text-align:center;" | WV
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Wisconsin|Wisconsin]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 12
| 809,997
| 47.89
| 12
| 748,804
| 44.27
| -
| 127,835
| 7.56
| -
| 61,193
| 3.62
|28.0%
| 1,691,538
| style="text-align:center;" | WI
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[1968 United States presidential election in Wyoming|Wyoming]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 3
| 70,927
| 55.76
| 3
| 45,173
| 35.51
| -
| 11,105
| 8.73
| -
| 25,754
| 20.25
|33.4%
| 127,205
| style="text-align:center;" | WY
|-
! TOTALS:
! 538
! 31,783,783
! 43.42
! 301
! 31,271,839
! 42.72
! 191
! 9,901,118
! 13.53
! 46
! 511,944
! 0.70
!23.3%
! 73,199,998
! style="text-align:center;" | US
|}
</div>

====States that flipped from Democratic to Republican====
*[[Alaska]]
*[[California]]
*[[Colorado]]
*[[Delaware]]
*[[Florida]]
*[[Idaho]]
*[[Illinois]]
*[[Indiana]]
*[[Iowa]]
*[[Kansas]]
*[[Kentucky]]
*[[Missouri]]
*[[Montana]]
*[[Nebraska]]
*[[Nevada]]
*[[New Mexico]]
*[[New Hampshire]]
*[[New Jersey]]
*[[North Carolina]]
*[[North Dakota]]
*[[Ohio]]
*[[Oklahoma]]
*[[Oregon]]
*[[South Dakota]]
*[[Tennessee]]
*[[Utah]]
*[[Virginia]]
*[[Vermont]]
*[[Wisconsin]]
*[[Wyoming]]

====States that flipped from Republican to American Independent====
*[[Georgia (US state)|Georgia]]
*[[Louisiana]]
*[[Alabama]]
*[[Mississippi]]

====States that flipped from Democratic to American Independent====
*[[Arkansas]]

===Close states===
States where margin of victory was less than 5 percentage points (223 electoral votes):
{{col-begin}}
{{col-break|width=25%}}
#<span style="color:red;">'''Missouri''', 1.13% (20,488 votes)</span>
#<span style="color:darkblue;">'''Texas''', 1.27% (38,960 votes)</span>
#<span style="color:darkblue;">'''Maryland''', 1.64% (20,315 votes)</span>
#<span style="color:darkblue;">'''Washington''', 2.11% (27,527 votes)</span>
#<span style="color:red;">'''New Jersey''', 2.13% (61,261 votes)</span>
#<span style="color:red;">'''Ohio''', 2.28% (90,428 votes)</span> (tipping point state for Nixon win)
#<span style="color:red;">'''Alaska''', 2.64% (2,189 votes)</span>
#<span style="color:red;">'''Illinois''', 2.92% (134,960 votes)</span> (tipping point state for Humphrey win)
#<span style="color:red;">'''California''', 3.08% (223,346 votes)</span>
#<span style="color:red;">'''Delaware''', 3.51% (7,520 votes)</span>
#<span style="color:darkblue;">'''Pennsylvania''', 3.57% (169,388 votes)</span>
#<span style="color:red;">'''Wisconsin''', 3.62% (61,193 votes)</span>
#<span style="color:red;">'''Tennessee''', 3.83% (47,800 votes)</span>
{{col-end}}

States where margin of victory was more than 5 percentage points, but less than 10 percentage points (155 electoral votes):
{{col-begin}}
{{col-break|width=25%}}
#<span style="color:red;">'''Kentucky''', 5.14% (64,870 votes)</span>
#<span style="color:darkblue;">'''Connecticut''', 5.16% (64,840 votes)</span>
#<span style="color:darkblue;">'''New York''', 5.46% (370,538 votes)</span>
#<span style="color:red;">'''South Carolina''', 5.79% (38,632 votes)</span>
#<span style="color:red;">'''Oregon''', 6.05% (49,567 votes)</span>
#<span style="color:darkblue;">'''Michigan''', 6.73% (222,417 votes)</span>
#<span style="color:purple;">'''Arkansas''', 7.64% (46,565 votes)</span>
#<span style="color:red;">'''Nevada''', 8.17% (12,590 votes)</span>
#<span style="color:red;">'''New Hampshire''', 8.17% (24,314 votes)</span>
#<span style="color:red;">'''North Carolina''', 8.25% (131,004 votes)</span>
#<span style="color:darkblue;">'''West Virginia''', 8.82% (66,536 votes)</span>
#<span style="color:red;">'''Montana''', 9.01% (24,718 votes)</span>
#<span style="color:red;">'''Colorado''', 9.14% (74,171 votes)</span>
#<span style="color:red;">'''Vermont''', 9.22% (14,887 votes)</span>
#<span style="color:red;">'''Florida''', 9.60% (210,010 votes)</span>
{{col-end}}

Notes: In [[Alabama]], Wallace was the official Democratic Party nominee, while Humphrey ran on the ticket of short-lived [[National Democratic Party of Alabama]], loyal to him as an official Democratic Party nominee.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wasson |first=Don F. |date=November 3, 1968 |title=Alabamians Must Sort Out Most Confusing Ballot in State History |pages=3 |work=The Selma Times-Journal |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/571495454/?terms=%22Wallace%22%20%22Humphrey%22%20%22National%20Democratic%20Party%20of%20Alabama%22&match=1 |access-date=May 16, 2022}}</ref>

In [[North Carolina]] one Nixon Elector cast his ballot for George Wallace (President) and Curtis LeMay (Vice President).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/state.php?year=1968&f=1&off=0&elect=0&fips=37&submit=Retrieve |title=1968 Presidential General Election Results – North Carolina |publisher=Uselectionatlas.org |access-date=November 3, 2008}}</ref>

==== Statistics ====
<ref name="auto"/>

Counties with Highest Percent of Vote (Republican)
# '''<span style="color:red;">[[Hooker County, Nebraska]] 87.94%</span>'''
# '''<span style="color:red;">[[Jackson County, Kentucky]] 84.09%</span>'''
# '''<span style="color:red;">[[McIntosh County, North Dakota]] 82.65%</span>'''
# '''<span style="color:red;">[[McPherson County, South Dakota]] 80.34%</span>'''
# '''<span style="color:red;">[[Sioux County, Iowa]] 80.04%</span>'''

Counties with Highest Percent of Vote (Democratic)
# '''<span style="color:blue;">[[Duval County, Texas]] 88.74%</span>'''
# '''<span style="color:blue;">[[Jim Hogg County, Texas]] 82.06%</span>'''
# '''<span style="color:blue;">[[Washington, D.C.]] 81.82%</span>'''
# '''<span style="color:blue;">[[Webb County, Texas]] 79.65%</span>'''
# '''<span style="color:blue;">[[Suffolk County, Massachusetts]] 75.62%</span>'''

Counties with Highest Percent of Vote (American Independent)
# '''<span style="color:purple;">[[Geneva County, Alabama]] 91.73%</span>'''
# '''<span style="color:purple;">[[George County, Mississippi]] 91.20%</span>'''
# '''<span style="color:purple;">[[Lamar County, Alabama]] 88.25%</span>'''
# '''<span style="color:purple;">[[Calhoun County, Mississippi]] 87.80%</span>'''
# '''<span style="color:purple;">[[Holmes County, Florida]] 87.21%</span>'''

==National voter demographics==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! colspan="4" | NBC sample precincts 1968 election
|-
!
! % Humphrey
! % Nixon
! % Wallace
|-
| High income urban
| style="text-align:left;" | 32
| style="text-align:left;" {{party shading/Republican}} | 63
| style="text-align:left;" | 5
|-
| Middle income urban
| style="text-align:left;" | 43
| style="text-align:left;" {{party shading/Republican}} | 44
| style="text-align:left;" | 13
|-
| Low income urban
| style="text-align:left;" {{party shading/Democratic}} | 69
| style="text-align:left;" | 19
| style="text-align:left;" | 12
|-
| Rural (all income)
| style="text-align:left;" | 33
| style="text-align:left;" {{party shading/Republican}} | 46
| style="text-align:left;" | 21
|-
| [[African-American neighborhood]]s
| style="text-align:left;" {{party shading/Democratic}} | 94
| style="text-align:left;" | 5
| style="text-align:left;" | 1
|-
| Italian neighborhoods
| style="text-align:left;" {{party shading/Democratic}} | 51
| style="text-align:left;" | 39
| style="text-align:left;" | 10
|-
| Slavic neighborhoods
| style="text-align:left;" {{party shading/Democratic}} | 65
| style="text-align:left;" | 24
| style="text-align:left;" | 11
|-
| Jewish neighborhoods
| style="text-align:left;" {{party shading/Democratic}} | 81
| style="text-align:left;" | 17
| style="text-align:left;" | 2
|-
| Unionized neighborhoods
| style="text-align:left;" {{party shading/Democratic}} | 61
| style="text-align:left;" | 29
| style="text-align:left;" | 10
|}
'''Source:''' ''Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report.'' "Group Analysis of the 1968 Presidential Vote" XXVI, No. 48 (November 1968), p.&nbsp;3218.

===Voter demographics in the South===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! colspan="4" | NBC sample precincts 1968 election: South only
|-
!
! % Humphrey
! % Nixon
! % Wallace
|-
| Middle income urban neighborhoods
| style="text-align:left;" | 28
| style="text-align:left;" {{party shading/Republican}}| 40
| style="text-align:left;" | 32
|-
| Low income urban neighborhoods
| style="text-align:left;" {{party shading/Democratic}} |57
| style="text-align:left;" | 18
| style="text-align:left;" | 25
|-
| Rural (all income)
| style="text-align:left;" | 29
| style="text-align:left;" | 30
| style="text-align:left;" {{party shading/American Independent}}| 41
|-
| African-American neighborhoods
| style="text-align:left;" {{party shading/Democratic}} | 95
| style="text-align:left;" | 3
| style="text-align:left;" | 2
|-
| Hispanic neighborhoods
| style="text-align:left;" {{party shading/Democratic}} | 92
| style="text-align:left;" | 7
| style="text-align:left;" | 1
|}
'''Source:''' ''Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report.'' "Group Analysis of the 1968 Presidential Vote", XXVI, No. 48 (November 1968), p.&nbsp;3218.

==See also==
* [[1968 United States House of Representatives elections]]
* [[1968 United States Senate elections]]
* [[1968 United States gubernatorial elections]]
* [[History of the United States (1964–1980)]]
* [[History of the United States Democratic Party]]
* [[History of the United States Republican Party]]
* [[List of presidents of the United States]]
* [[First inauguration of Richard Nixon]]

==Sources==
*{{cite book|authorlink=Theodore H. White|last=White|first=Theodore H.|title=The Making of the President 1968|publisher=Pocket Books|year=1970}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book| last=Ambrose| first=Stephen E.| author-link = Stephen E. Ambrose | title=Nixon: The Education of a Politician: 1962–1972| url=https://archive.org/details/nixon00ambr| url-access=registration| year=1987}}
* Boomhower, Ray E. "Fighting the Good Fight: John Bartlow Martin and Hubert Humphrey's 1968 Presidential Campaign." ''Indiana Magazine of History'' (2020) 116#1 pp 1–29. 
*Brown, Stuart Gerry. ''The Presidency on Trial: Robert Kennedy's 1968 Campaign and Afterwards.'' U. Press of Hawaii, 1972. 155 pp.
*Burner, David, and West, Thomas R. ''The Torch Is Passed: The Kennedy Brothers and American Liberalism.'' (1984). 307 pp.
*{{cite book| last=Carter| first=Dan T.| author-link = Dan T. Carter | title=The Politics of Rage: George Wallace, the Origins of the New Conservatism, and the Transformation of American Politics| year=1995| isbn=978-0-8071-2597-7}}
*{{cite book| first1=Lewis| last1=Chester| last2=Hodgson| first2=Godfrey| last3=Page| first3=Bruce| title=An American Melodrama: The Presidential Campaign of 1968| publisher=Viking Press| year=1969| isbn=978-0-670-11991-2| url=https://archive.org/details/americanmelodram00ches}}
* Coffey, Justin P. ''Spiro Agnew and the Rise of the Republican Right'' (ABC-CLIO, 2015).
* Cohen, Michael A. ''American Maelstrom: The 1968 Election and the Politics of Division'' (Oxford UP, 2016) [https://www.amazon.com/dp/019977756X/ excerpt] and [http://www.h-net.msu.edu/reviews/showrev.php?id=54162 online review]
* {{cite journal | last1 = Converse | first1 = Philip E. | author-link = Philip Converse | author-link2 = Warren Miller (political scientist) | last2 = Miller | first2 = Warren E. | last3 = Rusk | first3 = Jerrold G. | last4 = Wolfe | first4 = Arthur C. | year = 1969 | title = Continuity And Change In American Politics: Parties and Issues in the 1968 Election | journal = American Political Science Review | volume = 63 | issue = 4| pages = 1083–1105 | jstor=1955073 | doi=10.2307/1955073| s2cid = 54762012 }}
* {{cite book| last=Gould| first=Lewis L.| title=1968: The Election that Changed America| url=https://archive.org/details/1968electionthat0000goul| url-access=registration| publisher=Ivan R. Dee| year=1993| isbn=978-1-56663-010-8}}
* [[Arthur Herzog|Herzog, Arthur]]. ''McCarthy for President'' (1969)
* {{cite book| last=Farber| first=David| title=Chicago '68| publisher=University of Chicago Press| year=1988| isbn=978-0-226-23800-5| url=https://archive.org/details/chicago6800farb}}
* Jamieson, Patrick E. "Seeing the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidency through the March 31, 1968 Withdrawal Speech." ''Presidential Studies Quarterly'' Vol 29#1 1999 pp.&nbsp;134+
* Johnstone, Andrew, and Andrew Priest, eds.  ''US Presidential Elections and Foreign Policy: Candidates, Campaigns, and Global Politics from FDR to Bill Clinton'' (2017) pp 177–202. [https://muse.jhu.edu/book/50578/ online]
* [[Kimball, Warren F.]] "The Election of 1968." ''Diplomatic History'' 2004 28(4): 513–528. {{ISSN|0145-2096}} Fulltext online in SwetsWise, Ingenta and Ebsco. Comments by others at pp.&nbsp;563–576; reply, p.&nbsp;577.
* {{cite journal| last=Kogin| first=Michael| title=Wallace and the Middle Class| journal=Public Opinion Quarterly| volume=30| issue=1 | pages=98|date=Spring 1966| doi = 10.1086/267384 }}
* [[Walter LaFeber|LaFerber, Walter]]. ''The Deadly Bet: LBJ, Vietnam, and the 1968 Election'' (2005) short survey
* Lesher, Stephan. ''George Wallace: American Populist.'' (1994). 587 pp.
* Lichtenstein, Nelson, ed. ''Political Profiles: The Johnson Years''. 1976. short biographies of 400+ key politicians.
* Longley, Kyle. ''LBJ's 1968: Power, Politics, and the Presidency in America's Year of Upheaval'' (2018) [https://www.amazon.com/LBJs-1968-Politics-Presidency-Americas/dp/1107193036/ excerpt]
* {{cite journal | last1 = Mayer | first1 = Jeremy D. | s2cid = 143272460 | year = 2002 | title = Nixon Rides the Backlash to Victory: Racial Politics in the 1968 Presidential Campaign | journal = Historian | volume = 64 | issue = 3| pages = 351–366 | doi=10.1111/j.1540-6563.2002.tb01487.x}}
* Nelson, Michael. ''Resilient America: Electing Nixon in 1968, Channeling Dissent, and Dividing Government'' (University Press of Kansas; 2014) 360 pages
* Nelson, Michael. "The Historical Presidency: Lost Confidence: The Democratic Party, the Vietnam War, and the 1968 Election." ''Presidential Studies Quarterly'' 48.3 (2018): 570–585.
* O'Mara, Margaret. ''Pivotal Tuesdays: Four Elections That Shaped the Twentieth Century'' (2015), compares 1912, 1932, 1968, 1992 in terms of social, economic, and political history
* {{cite book| last=Richardson| first=Darcy G.| title=A Nation Divided: The 1968 Presidential Campaign| year=2002| isbn=978-0-595-23699-2}}
* {{cite book| last=Rising| first=George| title=Clean for Gene: Eugene McCarthy's 1968 Presidential Campaign| publisher=Praeger Publishers| year=1997| isbn=978-0-275-95841-1}}
* {{cite book| last=Savage| first=Sean J.| title=JFK, LBJ, and the Democratic Party| publisher=SUNY Albany Press| year=2004| isbn=978-0-7914-6169-3| url=https://archive.org/details/jfklbjdemocratic00sava_0}}
* {{cite book| last=Schlesinger| first=Arthur M. Jr.| title=Robert Kennedy and His Times| url=https://archive.org/details/robertkenn00schl| url-access=registration| publisher=Houghton Mifflin| year=1978| isbn=978-0-395-24897-3}}
* Schumacher, Michael. ''The Contest: The 1968 Election and the War for America's Soul'' (U of Minnesota Press, 2018) 540 pp. [http://www.h-net.msu.edu/reviews/showrev.php?id=54162 online review]
* Shesol, Jeff. ''Mutual Contempt: Lyndon Johnson, Robert Kennedy, and the Feud that Defined a Decade'' (1997)
* Small, Melvin. "The Election of 1968", ''Diplomatic History'' (2004) 28#4 pp 513–528, on foreign-policy issues [https://www.jstor.org/stable/24914873 online]
* Solberg, Carl. ''Hubert Humphrey'' (2003), scholarly biography [https://www.amazon.com/dp/0873514734 excerpt and text search]
* ''Time.'' "Wallace's Army: The Coalition Of Frustration", [https://web.archive.org/web/20090412144104/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,902424,00.html ''Time'' October 18, 1968]
* {{cite book| last1=Unger| first1=Irwin| last2=Unger| first2=Debi| title=Turning Point: 1968| publisher=Scribner's| year=1988| isbn=978-0-684-18696-2| url=https://archive.org/details/turningpoint196800unge}}
* Woods, Randall. ''LBJ: Architect of American Ambition'' (2006)

===Primary sources===
* [[George Gallup|Gallup, George H.]], ed. ''The Gallup Poll: Public Opinion, 1935–1971''. 3 vols. Random House, 1972. press releases;
* {{cite book| last=Humphrey| first=Hubert H.| title=The Education of a Public Man: My Life and Politics| url=https://archive.org/details/educationofpubli00hump| url-access=registration| publisher=Doubleday| year=1976| isbn=978-0-8166-1897-2}}
* McCarthy, Eugene. ''The Year of the People'' (1969), memoir
* {{cite book| last=McGinniss| first=Joe|author-link=Joe McGinniss| title=The Selling of the President 1968| url=https://archive.org/details/sellingofpresid00mcgi| url-access=registration| publisher=Trident Press| year=1969| isbn=978-0-671-82249-1}}; firsthand reporting
* {{Cite book| first=Richard M.| last=Nixon| author-link=Richard Nixon| year=1978| title=RN: The Memoirs of Richard Nixon| isbn=978-0-671-70741-5}} [https://archive.org/details/rnmemoirsofricha00nixo online]
* {{cite book| last=White| first=Theodore H.| title=The Making of the President—1968| publisher=Atheneum| year=1969| isbn=978-0-224-61796-3| url-access=registration| url=https://archive.org/details/makingofpresiden0000whit_z6y4}}, famous report by American journalist
* Chester, Edward W. ''A guide to political platforms'' (1977) [https://archive.org/details/guidetopolitical0000ches online]
* Porter, Kirk H., and Donald Bruce Johnson, eds. ''National party platforms, 1840-1972'' (1973)

==External links==
* [http://electionwall.org/1968.php The Election Wall's 1968 Election Video Page]
* [http://geoelections.free.fr/USA/elec_comtes/1968.htm 1968 popular vote by counties]
* [http://psephos.adam-carr.net/countries/u/usa/pres/1968.txt 1968 popular vote by states]
* [http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/datagraph.php?year=1968&fips=0&f=1&off=0&elect=0 1968 popular vote by states (with bar graphs)]
* [http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/commercials/1968 Campaign commercials from the 1968 election]
* [https://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=6396535 "LBJ Tapes Implicate Nixon With Treason"]. ABC News. December 5, 2008, (video).
* [http://www.countingthevotes.com/1968/ Election of 1968 in Counting the Votes]

{{United States presidential election, 1968}}
{{State results of the 1968 U.S. presidential election}}
{{United States elections, 1968}}
{{United States presidential elections}}
{{US Third Party Election}}
{{Richard Nixon}}
{{Hubert Humphrey}}
{{George Wallace}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:1968 United States presidential election| ]]
[[Category:Presidency of Richard Nixon]]
[[Category:Richard Nixon]]
[[Category:Hubert Humphrey]]
[[Category:George Wallace]]
[[Category:November 1968 events in the United States|Presidential election]]