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Withdrawal of Lyndon B. Johnson from the 1968 United States presidential election

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Withdrawal of Lyndon B. Johnson from the 1968 United States presidential election
Part of Presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson and 1968 Democratic Party presidential primaries
President Johnson announces that he will not run for re-election.
DateMarch 31, 1968; 56 years ago (1968-03-31)
LocationWhite House
Outcome
Excerpt from Johnson's address

On March 31, 1968, then-incumbent U.S. president Lyndon B. Johnson made a surprise announcement during a televised address to the nation that began around 9 p.m.,[1] declaring that he would not seek re-election for another term and was withdrawing from the 1968 United States presidential election. Johnson stated, "I shall not seek, and I will not accept, the nomination of my party for another term as your president."[2][3]

At first, Johnson's only significant challenger in the 1968 Democratic Party presidential primaries was Eugene McCarthy, an anti-war U.S. senator from Minnesota. Johnson's announcement to drop out of the race came after McCarthy nearly won the New Hampshire primary and Senator Robert F. Kennedy, another critic of the war and the brother of the late President John F. Kennedy, entered the race. Johnson's decision opened the door for Vice President Hubert Humphrey to become the Democratic Party's nominee. The 1968 Democratic National Convention, held in Chicago, was marked by significant protests and clashes between demonstrators and police,[4] reflecting the deep divisions within the nation.

The 1968 election saw Republican Party candidate Richard Nixon emerge victorious, defeating Humphrey and third-party candidate George Wallace. Nixon's campaign capitalized on themes of law and order and a promise to end the Vietnam War conflict and United States involvement, which resonated with many voters.[5]

Background

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1968 U.S. presidential election
Democratic Party
Republican Party
Third parties
Related races
← 1964 1968 1972 →
Main article: Presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson

Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th President of the United States, assumed office following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy in November 1963.[6] Johnson was subsequently elected in a landslide victory in the 1964 United States presidential election.[7] His presidency was marked by significant legislative achievements, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Voting Rights Act of 1965, ratification of the Twenty-fourth and Twenty-fifth Amendment, and the establishment of Medicare and Medicaid.[8]

Other presidents who did not seek reelection

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This article is part of
a series about
Lyndon B. Johnson
Senator from Texas
37th Vice President of the United States
36th President of the United States
First term
Second term
Presidential and Vice presidential campaigns
Post-presidency
Lyndon B. Johnson's signature

Seal of the President of the United States

Historically, most sitting US presidents who completed one full term chose to run for a second. The following presidents were eligible for reelection after completing one full term in office, but chose not to run:[9]

  • James K. Polk
    James K. Polk
  • James Buchanan
    James Buchanan
  • Rutherford B. Hayes
    Rutherford B. Hayes
  • Theodore Roosevelt
    Theodore Roosevelt
  • Calvin Coolidge
    Calvin Coolidge
  • Harry S. Truman
    Harry S. Truman

The 22nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (passed by Congress in 1947 and ratified by the states in 1951) imposes a limit of two terms on presidents.[b] Prior to the term limit, an informal two-term tradition was generally followed by many presidents after a precedent set by President George Washington, who chose not to run for reelection after serving two terms.

President Joe Biden would withdraw from the 2024 race,[10] marking the third time an incumbent US president withdrew from the presidential election.

Vietnam War

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Main article: Vietnam War
Further information: United States in the Vietnam War

Johnson's tenure, however, wound up being overshadowed by various conflicts of interests, such as resistance to escalation of U.S. involvement in the conflict. Public opinion turned increasingly against the war with Anti-War movements spreading across the country.[11] The Tet Offensive in early 1968 further eroded support for the war and Johnson's handling of it.[12]

Dump Johnson movement

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Main article: Dump Johnson movement

As the 1968 election approached, Johnson began to lose control of the Democratic Party, which was splitting into four factions. The first group consisted of Johnson and Humphrey, labor unions, and local party bosses (led by Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley). The second group consisted of antiwar students and intellectuals who coalesced behind Senator Eugene McCarthy in an effort to "dump Johnson." The third group included Catholics, Hispanics and African Americans, who rallied behind Senator Robert F. Kennedy. The fourth group consisted of traditionally segregationist white Southerners like Governor George Wallace.[13]

Public opinion and political challenges

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Main article: 1968 Democratic Party presidential primaries

Johnson's approval ratings had declined significantly by 1968, with his approval rating at the time of his withdrawal being 36 percent.[14] Despite Johnson's growing unpopularity, conventional wisdom held that it would be impossible to deny re-nomination to a sitting president. Johnson won a narrow victory in the New Hampshire presidential primary on March 12, against McCarthy 49–42%,[15] but this close second-place result dramatically boosted McCarthy's standing in the race. Kennedy announced his candidacy on March 16.[16]

Weary of office and presidential position

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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.[17] 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.[18] Randall Bennett Woods said Johnson realized he needed to leave, for the nation to heal.[19] 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.[20] 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".[21]

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.[22][23] After watching Cronkite's editorial, Johnson allegedly exclaimed: "If I've lost Cronkite, I've lost Middle America."[22] This quote by Johnson has been disputed for accuracy.[24] 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.[24] 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 and journalist Bill Moyers, later confirmed the accuracy of the quote to them.[25][26] Schieffer, who was a reporter for the Star-Telegram's 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,[26] but claimed the president was able to watch a taping of it the morning after it aired and then made the remark.[26] 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".[27] They suggested he might earn a spot as vice president.[27]

Political and public response

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Democratic Party

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After the televised announcement of his withdrawal, the Johnson's took calls from fellow Democrats in the White House bedroom,[28] who expressed a mix of respect, disappointment, and understanding towards his announcement, some left dumbfounded. Former Presidents and key figures within the party praised Johnson's presidency and his decision to step aside. Former President Harry S. Truman commended Johnson's service, highlighting his belief that Johnson acted in the best interests of the country and the Democratic Party. Democratic leaders struggled to figure out how to respond to Johnson's sudden withdrawal.[29] This led to bitter battle for succession among Democrats.[30] Some Democrats were worried that a new nominee, selected by the convention, would lack legitimacy since they would have secured the nomination without direct input from Democratic voters around the country.[31]

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 and Hispanic Americans, as well as some 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.[32] 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.[33] However, Johnson's telephone calls show that Johnson believed the Nixon camp was deliberately sabotaging the 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.[34]

Anti-war activists and the Republican Party

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Many anti-war activists rejoiced at the news. Some of them concluded that their movement had forced Johnson to alter his war policy and to decide that he could not win another term.[35][36] Antiwar protesters chanted outside the White House, "Hey, hey, LBJ! How many kids did you kill today?"[37] After Johnson's withdrawal, many Republicans underwent an anguished reappraisal concerning Richard Nixon's chances for winning the election in November.[38]

International response

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South Vietnam

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South Vietnamese officials viewed Johnson's withdrawal with concern, mainly with the threat of an anti-war candidate unwilling to support them and threatening to withdraw troops.[39] During this time, South Vietnamese President Nguyễn Văn Thiệu was eagerly anticipating the results of the American election, believing he could secure a more favorable agreement with Republican candidate Nixon than with the incumbent administration. Messages implying this were secretly communicated to Thieu's representatives by Nixon's associates. President Johnson, enraged and appalled, discovered evidence of this through phone taps, intercepts, and surveillance, considering it a potentially treasonous act.[15]

Global anti-war movement

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Johnson's decision was seen as a victory by anti-war activists around the world. His withdrawal was viewed by some as a sign that public and international pressure could influence the policies of powerful nations.[40]

Aftermath

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Main article: Hubert Humphrey 1968 presidential campaign
Further information: Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.

Within the week of Johnson's announcement, American civil rights activist and oppositionist to the Vietnam War; Martin Luther King Jr., was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee at the Lorraine Motel.[41] Many US cities were convulsed in rioting following King's death.[42] Johnson was in the Oval Office that evening, planning a meeting in Hawaii with Vietnam War military commanders. After press secretary George Christian informed him at 8:20 p.m. of the assassination, he canceled the trip to focus on the nation. He assigned Attorney General Ramsey Clark to investigate the assassination in Memphis. He made a personal call to King's wife, Coretta Scott King, and declared April 7 a national day of mourning on which the U.S. flag would be flown at half-staff.[43] After Johnson's withdrawal, and the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy, McCarthy was Humphrey's only major opponent until George McGovern entered the race. Humphrey would end up losing the election to the antiwar Republican Richard Nixon, who portrayed himself as a figure of stability during this period of national unrest and upheaval.[44]

The defeat left Humphrey in a state of depression. To stay active, his friends helped him get hired[45] as a professor at Macalester College and the University of Minnesota. The perceived failures of the Vietnam War nurtured disillusionment with government, and the New Deal coalition fell apart in large part due to tensions over the Vietnam War and the 1968 election.[46][47] Republicans won five of six presidential elections after Johnson left office. Ronald Reagan came into office in 1981 vowing to undo the Great Society, though he and other Republicans were unable to repeal many of Johnson's programs.[46][48][49][50]

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Roosevelt later had a falling-out with William Howard Taft, his hand-picked successor, and ran again in the election of 1912.
  2. ^ A grandfather clause exemption was made for the president serving when the amendment was passed by Congress; the president at the time was Truman. Johnson was eligible for a third term because his first term lasted less than two years.

References

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  1. ^ Frankel, Max (March 31, 1968). "Johnson to Talk to Nation Tonight on Vietnam War" (fee required). The New York Times. p. 1. Archived from the original on July 26, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2024. WASHINGTON, March 30 — President Johnson will address the nation at 9 P.M. tomorrow to deal 'rather fully' with the situation in Vietnam, including further troop build-ups, the possibility of reserve call-ups and the additional costs thereof.
  2. ^ "Remarks on Decision not to Seek Re-Election (March 31, 1968)". The Miller Center, University of Virginia. October 20, 2016. Archived from the original on October 3, 2017. Retrieved October 2, 2017.
  3. ^ Cohen, Michael A. (April 2, 2016). "LBJ drops out of 1968 presidential race". OUPblog. Archived from the original on March 1, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  4. ^ "1968 Democratic Convention - Protests, Yippies, Witnesses". History Channel. May 3, 2024. Archived from the original on July 26, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  5. ^ "Presidential Election of 1968 - 270toWin". 270toWin.com. Archived from the original on July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  6. ^ "Eyewitness". www.archives.gov. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  7. ^ "Presidential Election of 1964 - 270toWin". 270toWin.com. Archived from the original on July 23, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  8. ^ "Lyndon B. Johnson - Key Events | Miller Center". millercenter.org. October 7, 2016. Archived from the original on April 14, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  9. ^ "US presidents who did not seek reelection". Voice of America. July 23, 2024. Archived from the original on July 25, 2024. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
  10. ^ Samuelsohn, Chris Kenning and Darren. "'It's unprecedented': Biden's exit is a history-making moment in the American presidency". USA TODAY. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  11. ^ "Anti-War Protests of the 1960s-70s". WHHA. Archived from the original on July 26, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  12. ^ "Tet Offensive: 1968, Definition & Date". History Channel. December 12, 2022. Archived from the original on July 18, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  13. ^ Gould, Lewis L. (2010). 1968: The Election That Changed America. Chicago: Ivan R. Dee. ISBN 978-1566638623. Retrieved October 25, 2015.
  14. ^ Updegrove, Mark K. (2012). Indomitable will: LBJ in the presidency (1st ed.). New York: Crown. p. 272. ISBN 978-0-307-88771-9.
  15. ^ a b McMahon, Robert. "Lyndon B. Johnson's Decision Not to Run in 1968". Bill of Rights Institute. Archived from the original on July 26, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  16. ^ "ROBERT F. KENNEDY AND THE 1968 CAMPAIGN | JFK Library". www.jfklibrary.org. Archived from the original on June 16, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  17. ^ Jeff Shesol (1998). Mutual Contempt: Lyndon Johnson, Robert Kennedy, and the Feud that Defined a Decade. W W Norton. pp. 545–47. ISBN 978-0-393-31855-5. Archived from the original on October 9, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  18. ^ Lewis L. Gould (2010). 1968: The Election That Changed America. Government Institutes. pp. 16–18. ISBN 978-1-56663-910-1.
  19. ^ Randall Bennett Woods (2007). LBJ: architect of American ambition. Harvard University Press. pp. 834–35. ISBN 978-0-674-02699-5. Archived from the original on October 9, 2023. Retrieved November 20, 2015.
  20. ^ Dallek, Robert (1998). Flawed Giant:Lyndon Johnson and His Times, 1961–1973. Oxford University Press. pp. 518–25. ISBN 978-0-19-982670-4.
  21. ^ Anthony J. Bennett (2013). The Race for the White House from Reagan to Clinton: Reforming Old Systems, Building New Coalitions. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 160. ISBN 978-1-137-26860-0.
  22. ^ a b Moore, Frazier (July 18, 2009). "Legendary CBS anchor Walter Cronkite dies at 92". GMA News. Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 25, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
  23. ^ Wicker, Tom (January 26, 1997). "Broadcast News". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 16, 2009. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
  24. ^ a b Campbell, W. Joseph (July 9, 2012). "Chris Matthews invokes the 'if I've lost Cronkite' myth in NYT review". Archived from the original on August 19, 2012. Retrieved June 22, 2013.
  25. ^ Cronkite, Walter (1996). A Reporter's Life. Ballantine Books. p. 256. ISBN 978-0-394-57879-8.
  26. ^ a b c Schieffer, Bob (January 6, 2004). This Just In: What I Couldn't Tell You on TV. Putnam Pub Group. ISBN 978-0-399-14971-9. Retrieved June 8, 2013.
  27. ^ a b "LBJ and Richard Daley, 1/27/68, 10.58A". September 6, 2013. Archived from the original on December 11, 2021 – via www.youtube.com.
  28. ^ "How LBJ stepped back". Engelsberg ideas (in Swedish). Retrieved September 17, 2024.
  29. ^ Dallek, Matthew (July 22, 2024). "What Happened When LBJ Announced He Wouldn't Run". History Channel. Archived from the original on June 3, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  30. ^ "AllPolitics - Back in TIME for Apr. 12, 1968". CNN. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  31. ^ Klinkner, Philip (July 21, 2024). "Until 1968, presidential candidates were picked by party conventions – a process revived by Biden's withdrawal from race". The Conversation. Archived from the original on July 22, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  32. ^ Dallek (1998); Woods (2006); Gould (1993).
  33. ^ David (1968). "Paris peace negotiations: a two level game?". Review of International Studies. 37 (2): 577–599.
  34. ^ Robert Dallek, Nixon and Kissinger (2009) p 77
  35. ^ Small, Melvin (2010). "Bring the Boys Home Now! Antiwar Activism and Withdrawal from Vietnam—and Iraq". Diplomatic History. 34 (3): 543–553. doi:10.1111/j.1467-7709.2010.00868.x. ISSN 0145-2096. JSTOR 24915900. Archived from the original on March 23, 2022. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  36. ^ McNamara, Robert (July 28, 2019). "An Overview of the Vietnam War Protests". ThoughtCo. Archived from the original on May 12, 2024. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  37. ^ "The Sixties". Junior Scholastic. February 11, 1994. p. 4.
  38. ^ "AllPolitics - Back in TIME for Apr. 12, 1968". CNN. Archived from the original on May 3, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  39. ^ Wernick, Adam. "LBJ knew the Vietnam War was a disaster in the making. Here's why he couldn't walk away". The World from PRX. Archived from the original on July 26, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  40. ^ Polsky, Andrew J. (June 2012). Elusive Victories: The American Presidency at War. Oxford University Press. pp. 202–272. ISBN 9780190252649. Archived from the original on July 26, 2024. Retrieved July 22, 2024.
  41. ^ "Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. | The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute". kinginstitute.stanford.edu. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  42. ^ Institute, Fire Service. "LibGuides: Significant Illinois Fires: Martin Luther King, Jr. Assassination Riots". guides.library.illinois.edu. Retrieved August 1, 2024.
  43. ^ Kotz 2006, p. 415.
  44. ^ Nixon Library, President.
  45. ^ Light, Paul C. (1992), "Hubert Humphrey and political science", Perspectives on Political Science, 21 (1): 10–15, doi:10.1080/10457097.1992.9944497, ISSN 1045-7097.
  46. ^ a b Tumulty, Karen (May 17, 2014). "The Great Society at 50". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on August 20, 2016. Retrieved August 21, 2016.
  47. ^ Cohen, Michael (February 17, 2015). "How Vietnam Haunts the Democrats". Politico. Archived from the original on August 20, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2016.
  48. ^ Bailey, Martha J.; Duquette, Nicolas J. (June 2014). "How Johnson Fought the War on Poverty: The Economics and Politics of Funding at the Office of Economic Opportunity". The Journal of Economic History. 74 (2): 351–388. doi:10.1017/s0022050714000291. PMC 4266933. PMID 25525279.
  49. ^ Moynihan, Daniel (1992). "How the Great Society "destroyed the American family"". The Public Interest: 53–64. Retrieved August 15, 2024.
  50. ^ Goeglein, Timothy. "What has the Great Society Wrought Fifty Years Later? Marriage, Family and Poverty". Houston Christian University. Retrieved August 15, 2024.

Works cited

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