U.S. presidential election of 1968

The 1968 U.S. presidential election was won by Republican Richard Nixon over Democrat Hubert Humphrey and American Independent candidate George Wallace. Vietnam, civil rights, urban unrest, and divisions within the Democratic Party shaped the campaign.

United States Electoral College: The system in which states appoint electors who formally choose the U.S. president. Nixon won the presidency with 301 electoral votes despite receiving less than half the popular vote.
Vietnam War: A conflict from 1955 to 1975 in which North Vietnam and its allies fought South Vietnam and the United States. Disagreement over escalation and withdrawal fractured the Democratic coalition and dominated campaign debate.
1968 Republican National Convention: The Republican Party convention held in Miami Beach in August 1968 that nominated Richard Nixon for president. Its orderly proceedings contrasted with the Democratic convention’s visible conflict and disorder.
Nixon's Vietnam policy: The policies Richard Nixon pursued as president to reduce direct U.S. combat involvement while continuing the Vietnam War. His campaign promise to seek an end to the war gave way to Vietnamization and expanded bombing.
Richard Nixon: The Republican politician who served as the 37th president of the United States from 1969 to 1974. His law-and-order message and promise to end the Vietnam War helped secure the Republican nomination and victory.
Tet Offensive: A major 1968 campaign of surprise attacks by North Vietnamese and Viet Cong forces across South Vietnam. The offensive intensified doubts about official claims that the United States was nearing victory.
American Independent Party: A U.S. political party founded in 1967 that nominated George Wallace for president in 1968. Its candidacy gave Wallace a national ballot line outside the two major parties.
1968 United States presidential election popular vote: The national popular-vote totals for Richard Nixon, Hubert Humphrey, George Wallace, and other candidates in 1968. Nixon’s margin of about 500,000 votes illustrates how closely the election divided the country.
Hubert Humphrey: The Democratic politician who served as vice president under Lyndon B. Johnson and ran for president in 1968. He entered the race late and struggled to unite Democrats divided over Vietnam.
Lyndon B. Johnson: The 36th president of the United States, who declined to seek another term in 1968. His March 31 withdrawal transformed the Democratic nomination contest and left the party without an incumbent candidate.

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