The 1968 Republican National Convention was held at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami Beach, Florida, USA, from August 5 to August 8, 1968, to select the party's nominee in the general election. It nominated former Vice President Richard Nixon for President of the United States and then Maryland Governor Spiro Agnew for vice president. It was the fourth time Nixon had been nominated on the Republican ticket as either its vice presidential (1952 United States presidential election and 1956 United States presidential election) or presidential candidate (1960 United States presidential election). Symbolic of the South's changing political affiliation, this was the first Republican National Convention held in a prior Confederate State.
Political context
Former Vice President Richard Nixon, emerged as the frontrunner again for the 1968 Republican presidential nomination. Nixon had been the Republican Party nominee in the 1960 presidential election, and lost to Democratic Party candidate John F. Kennedy.
The so-called "New Nixon" in the 1968 presidential election devised a "Southern strategy," taking advantage of the region's opposition to racial integration and other progressive/liberal policies of the Democratic Party and President Lyndon B. Johnson.
Nixon was nominated on the first ballot with 692 votes to 277 votes for Nelson Rockefeller, 182 votes for California Governor Ronald Reagan and the rest scattered. He was able to secure the nomination to the support of many Southern delegates, after he and his subordinates made concessions to Strom Thurmond and Harry Dent on civil rights, the Supreme Court, and the selection of a vice presidential candidate.
Nixon decided not to re-select his 1960 running mate Henry Cabot Lodge Jr., and House Minority Leader Gerald Ford of Michigan proposed New York City Mayor John Lindsay for vice president. Nixon turned instead to another perceived moderate, Maryland Governor Spiro Agnew. Agnew, former Baltimore County Executive in the Baltimore City suburbs (1963–1967), and since Governor of Maryland, had come to Republican leaders and Nixon's attention when he summoned several Black civic, religious, and political leaders in Baltimore to the local State Office Building complex, following the disastrous April 1968 riots which enveloped Black sections of East and West Baltimore in the wake of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis, Tennessee. Agnew complained of the Black leaders' lack of support after a number of what he perceived to be positive projects, programs and support by his Republican administration for the minority communities in the city. Agnew's biting comments caused many in the audience to walk out. Agnew was seen as a candidate who could appeal to Rockefeller Republicans, was acceptable to Southern Conservatives, and had a solid law-and-order record.Perlstein, pp. 299-304
In his acceptance speech, Nixon deplored the state of the union and urged a return to law and order both at home and abroad:
Nixon also said that he had "a good teacher", referring to Eisenhower, and made the delegates happy with the statement "Let's win this one for Ike!" Eisenhower was not present during Nixon's speech nor during any part of the convention. Due to failing health, he was under doctor's orders not to travel, but addressed the convention by telephone. He died the following March.
Balloting The following were placed into nomination:
Nominated for President
Nominated for Vice President
The Republican Convention Tally results This was the last time during the 20th Century that two siblings (the Rockefeller brothers) received votes at a convention. +The Republican Convention Tally President (before switches) (after switches) Vice President Vice-Presidential votesRichard M. Nixon 6921238 Spiro T. Agnew 1119Nelson Rockefeller 27793 George Romney 186Ronald Reagan1822John V. Lindsay 10Ohio Governor James A. Rhodes55—Massachusetts Senator Edward Brooke1Michigan Governor George Romney50—James A. Rhodes1New Jersey Senator Clifford Case22— Not Voting 16Kansas Senator Frank Carlson 20——Arkansas Governor Winthrop Rockefeller 18——Hawaii Senator Hiram Fong 14——Harold Stassen2——New York City Mayor John V. Lindsay1——
Results by state
The balloting by state was as follows:
State Alabama 14 12 Alaska 11 1 Arizona 16 Arkansas 18 California 86 Colorado 14 3 1 Connecticut 4 12 Delaware 9 3 Florida 32 1 1 Georgia 21 2 7 Hawaii 14 Idaho 9 5 Illinois 50 5 3 Indiana 26 Iowa 13 8 3 Kansas 20 Kentucky 22 2 Louisiana 19 7 Maine 7 7 Maryland 18 8 Massachusetts 34 Michigan 4 44 Minnesota 9 15 1 1 Mississippi 20 Missouri 16 5 3 Montana 11 3 Nebraska 16 Nevada 9 3 New Hampshire 8 New Jersey 18 22 New Mexico 8 1 5 New York 4 88 North Carolina 9 1 16 North Dakota 5 2 1 Ohio 2 55 1 Oklahoma 14 1 7 Oregon 18 Pennsylvania 22 41 1 Rhode Island 14 South Carolina 22 South Dakota 14 Tennessee 28 Texas 41 15 Utah 2 6 Vermont 9 3 Virginia 22 2 Washington 15 3 6 West Virginia 11 3 Wisconsin 30 Wyoming 12 District of Columbia 6 3 Puerto Rico 5 U.S. Virgin Islands 2 1 Total 692 277 182 55 50 22 20 18 14 2 1
See also History of the United States Republican Party List of Republican National Conventions United States presidential nominating convention 1968 Democratic National Convention 1968 United States presidential election Richard Nixon 1968 presidential campaign 1968 Miami riot
Notes
References
Bibliography
External links Republican Party platform of 1968 at The American Presidency Project Nixon nomination acceptance speech for President at RNC (transcript) at The American Presidency Project Video of Nixon nomination acceptance speech for President at RNC from C-SPAN (via YouTube) Audio of Nixon nomination acceptance speech for President at RNC Video of Agnew nomination acceptance speech for Vice President at RNC (via YouTube)