1968 New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary explained

Election Name:1968 New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary
Country:New Hampshire
Flag Year:1931
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1964 New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary
Previous Year:1964
Next Election:1972 New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary
Next Year:1972
Candidate1:Lyndon Johnson
(write-in)
Colour1:3333ffff
Home State1:Texas
Popular Vote1:27,520
Percentage1:49.6%
Candidate2:Eugene McCarthy
Colour2:37c837
Home State2:Minnesota
Popular Vote2:23,263
Percentage2:41.9%
Delegate Count1:4
Delegate Count2:20

See main article: 1968 Democratic Party presidential primaries.

The 1968 New Hampshire Democratic presidential primary was held on March 12, 1968, in New Hampshire as one of the Democratic Party's statewide nomination contests ahead of the 1968 United States presidential election.

Details

President Lyndon Johnson, who had not officially entered the race for president, won the primary as a write-in, but finished with a shockingly low total of less than 50%.[1] [2] Eugene McCarthy, then a little-known senator from Minnesota, won 42% of the primary vote. McCarthy's extremely strong showing gave his campaign legitimacy and momentum.[3] In addition, McCarthy's superior coordination led to a near sweep of the state's twenty-four pledged delegates; since Johnson had no formal campaign organization in the state, a number of competing pro-Johnson delegate candidates split his vote, allowing McCarthy to take twenty delegates.

On March 16, 1968, four days after the New Hampshire primary, Robert F. Kennedy announced his candidacy.[4] On March 31, 1968, President Lyndon Johnson announced that he would not seek reelection.[5] Vice President Hubert Humphrey went on to become nominee after Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated.[6]

Notes and References

  1. News: JOHNSON MARGIN CUT TO 230 VOTES; Narrow Victory in Combined New Hampshire Totals . 2024-02-08 . The New York Times . en.
  2. Book: New Hampshire. Dept. of State . Manual for the General Court . 1969 . Concord, N.H. : Dept. of State . University of New Hampshire Library.
  3. Web site: Glass . Andrew . 2016-03-12 . McCarthy nearly upsets LBJ in New Hampshire primary: March 12, 1968 . 2024-02-08 . POLITICO . en.
  4. 1968 Presidential Election: RFK Announces He's Running . en . 2024-07-08.
  5. Web site: Christian . George . 1988-04-01 . The Night Lyndon Quit . 2024-02-08 . Texas Monthly . en.
  6. Web site: 2014-05-15 . Behind the Picture: RFK's Assassination, Los Angeles, 1968 . 2024-02-08 . LIFE . en-US.