1968 United States Presidential Election (TNO: A New Frontier)

The 1968 United States presidential election was the 46th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 5, 1968. The National Progressive nominee, Michael Harrington, defeated Republican-Democrat nominee Barry M. Goldwater. This election continued the decline of the Republican party, whose supporters either defected to the NPP, lost their seats, or would leave in 1975 to form the American Liberal Party, with a few switching their party affiliation to the Democratic Party when the Republican-Democrats was dissolved in 1976. It also saw the loss of much of the South, Midwest, and other former NPP Far-Right strongholds as the parrt

Incumbent President Strom Thurmond elected not to run, after dropping out of the National Progressive primaries due to poor finishes in the New Hampshire and other early primaries. Senator of Missouri, writer of The Other America and National Progressive co-chair Michael Harrington secured the National Progressive nomination, after he defeated Thurmond and Maine Senator Margaret Chase Smith. The Republican-Democrat nomination was secured by Barry M. Goldwater, who defeated Governor of New York Nelson Rockefeller, as well as former astronaut and Governor of Ohio John Glenn. Harrington chose New York representative Irving Howe as his vice-presidential candidate, while Goldwater chose Nelson Rockefeller.

1968, much like 1964, was a tumultuous election year. The assassination of President Kennedy and Vice-President Humphrey, and the controversial ascension of Strom Thurmond to the Presidency, as well as protests and riots following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. dominated the electoral season. Much like the 1964 election, candidates proposed two different solutions to America's crises; bold change or moderation (in Goldwater's case, fervent anti-extremism).

Both candidates remained neck and neck in the polls throughout the cycle, with Harrington having an initial lead due to his association with Kennedy, and Goldwater seeing a temporary boost after the protests and riots caused by the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Harrington campaigned on addressing America's high poverty rate, which in 1961 had reached 25.4%, as well as introducing a national healthcare system, expanding union power and access to education. He leaned heavily on continuing Kennedy's legacy and by trying to grow sympathy for the poor and disadvantaged in America. Goldwater, while not outright criticizing Kennedy, pointed to the chaos and crisis that occured that year as evidence that America needed a moderate candidate, rather than a extremist demagogue. He promised to reduce the size of the federal government and limit its intervention in daily life. He also called for an investigation of "corrupt union activities", that he claimed were being conducted by the AFL-CIO and other large unions.

Harrington secured a narrow electoral victory and an even narrower popular vote victory on election day. He carried the West Coast, Rust Belt, and much of the Northeast, but suffered surprise defeats in some Northeastern states such as New Jersey and Maine. Goldwater carried the South and Midwest. Some historians have attributed Harrington and the NPP's poor performances in the South to the rollback of voting rights carried out by the Thurmond administration and Southern Democratic governorships.

Harrington continued the National Progressive Party's 20-year hold over the office of the Presidency, although the party suffered some downballot losses as its Senate and House majorities tightened. The Republican party continued to shrink as their moderate position became mostly untenable, until the emergence of the American Liberal Party in 1975.