1968 United States Presidential Election (President Wallace)

The 1968 United States Presidential Election was the 46th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 5 1968. In possibly the greatest electoral upset in history, third party candidate Governor George Wallace of Alabama defeated both main parties, the Republicans and Democrats. Wallace, who ran a campaign based around moderate racial views, a conservative, populist law and order domestic slant, and hawkish anti-communism abroad.

The major parties entered the race expecting a Republican win, with the popularity of then-President Richard Nixon. However, the favorite, Vice President Henry Lodge, lost the primary to Nelson Rockefeller, the leader of the GOP's liberal wing. With that, conservatives Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan considered forming their own party, as Hubert Humphrey was nominated by the Democrats.

Wallace, a former Democrat, was supported by the emerging American Independent Party. Wallace took control of the party, and renamed it the Constitution Party of America. Moderating his racial views and leaning more to the right, Wallace gained the support of Reagan and Goldwater, along with a mixed bag of hawks, conservatives, blue-collar workers, and, oddly enough, young men in general.

Wallace won a rather commanding majority, taking 22 states and 328 electoral votes. Rockefeller came in second, an embarrassing performance for the incumbent party. Finally, Humphrey came in third, with an absolutely dismal performance of 8 states and 73 electoral votes.

Despite the expectation that Rockefeller would win, his campaign suffered a major blow in September when it was reported he got into a "shouting match" with President Nixon, which allegedly ended with Nixon threatening to endorse Wallace. While Nixon never did endorse any candidate in the election, the report damaged Rockefeller and gave a boost to Wallace.

The election is often known as the "Revolution of '68", as it caused a significant re-alignment in American politics. The Constitution Party sapped away much of the GOP's conservative base, causing the GOP to merge with the Democrats to form the Progressive Party in 1971.

Primaries
Wallace, after taking control of the Constitution Party, was expected to be its nominee. However, to the surprise of about everyone, former Kentucky Governor A. B. "Happy" Chandler entered the party and challenged Wallace for its nomination. Chandler came closer than expected, but still lost 20-80% in the primaries. Wallace reviewed many choices for his running mate, originally considered Senator Barry Goldwater or Governor Ronald Reagan. In the end, he settled on Curtis LeMay, a Republican Air Force general.

Republican Nomination
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Campaign
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Results
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