This article lists those who were potential candidates for the Democratic nomination for Vice President of the United States in the 1968 election. After winning the Democratic presidential nomination at the 1968 Democratic National Convention, incumbent Vice President Hubert Humphrey asked the convention to nominate Maine Senator Edmund Muskie as his running mate. The convention overwhelmingly voted to ratify the choice of Muskie, though Julian Bond picked up a scattering of votes. Muskie was surprised by the selection, as he was from a Northeastern state with few electoral votes. Humphrey almost chose Oklahoma Senator Fred R. Harris, but Humphrey decided that Muskie's age, governmental experience, and quiet temperament made him the better candidate. Humphrey also strongly considered South Carolina Governor Robert McNair, his name being "the last name marked off the list" for Humphrey's running mate. McNair was informed that had the Vice President opted for a southerner as a running mate, it would've been him. The Humphrey–Muskie ticket ultimately lost to the Nixon–Agnew ticket in the 1968 election. Muskie's place on the national ticket helped make him an early front-runner for the 1972 Democratic presidential nomination, though Muskie ultimately dropped out of the contest.
Potential running mates
Finalists
Declined
Others
Results 1968 Democratic vice presidential ballotingContender: ballot Final tallySenator Edmund Muskie 1942.5Not voting604.25Activist Julian Bond48.5David Hoeh4Senator Ted Kennedy3.5Senator Eugene McCarthy3Don Edwards2Senator Abraham Ribicoff2Senator George McGovern2Mayor Richard J. Daley1.5Governor Robert Evander McNair1.5Philadelphia Mayor James Tate1.5Representative Allard K. Lowenstein1Senate nominee Paul O'Dwyer1Representative Henry S. Reuss1Former Governor Terry Sanford1Ambassador Sargent Shriver1William Fitts Ryan1Former Governor George Wallace0.5 Source: Keating Holland, "All the Votes... Really," CNN
See also 1968 Democratic National Convention Democratic Party presidential primaries, 1968
References