A Clean Sweep

Teal text on white banners on a light yellow background and an illustration of a donkey

1968, a presidential election year, was a tumultuous time in American politics. The year was marked by widespread anti-Vietnam War protests and the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Dr. King’s assassination caused riots across America. Richard Nixon had the Republican nomination for president, Hubert Humphrey had the Democrat nomination, and George Wallace was also running as an Independent. Nixon won the general election by less than 1% of the popular vote, but swept the Electoral College. His victory marked the end of the New Deal coalition which had maintained power since 1932. It also marked the rise of the “Southern strategy” where Republicans courted the vote of traditionally Democrat-voting Southern states. 1968 was also the last election where a third party candidate captured all the electoral votes of a state. The button seen here was worn to encourage citizens to vote Democrat straight down the ticket.