presidential campaign presidential campaign launched senator minnesota democratic_party nomination president united_states focus campaign support swift end vietnam war withdrawal american forces campaign appealed youths tired establishment dissatisfied government early mccarthy vocal intent incumbent democratic president following mccarthy showing new_hampshire senator entered race kennedy entrance forced president johnson withdraw johnson withdrawal vice president entered contest avoided kennedy fought mccarthy favorite son stand ins help win delegates kennedy assassinated leaving mccarthy main challenger organization strong mccarthy overcome anti war campaign split late entrance senator south ahead despite winning popular vote mccarthy lost convention amidst protests riots background elected united_states house_of_representatives member minnesota democratic served terms winning seat united states senate speech support placed national stage president johnson considered selecting running mate instead chose fellow senator minnesota mccarthy opposed vietnam war months prior announcement mccarthy hinted challenge president johnson democratic nomination contrasting views president vietnam war americans announced support mccarthy campaign decided run johnson took mentions seriously privately democratic congressional leaders mccarthy gain support party rumored mccarthy pledged use new_hampshire wisconsin upcoming year politician explained johnson mccarthy run reminiscent campaign early speculated caused president seek election mccarthy privately explained intentions vice president served minnesota senate nearly decades commented believe win lost interest senate felt strongly war believing best way express enter stated mccarthy vain arrogant supporters wanted admit decide run president personal feelings johnson genuine feelings vietnam war challenging incumbent citing importance preventing president johnson nomination continuation war vietnam mccarthy entered democratic presidential november entrance senator articulated believed deepening moral crisis america rejection political system citizens hoped alleviate president days later johnson administration announcement war vietnam according mccarthy akin believed announcement strengthen campaign following week rumors spread president staff mccarthy campaign ploy weaken johnson easier senator defeat kennedy announced challenge johnson nomination presidential candidacy ruled mccarthy began january making promises potential challenge president florida primary ballot reaffirmed goal defeat president new_hampshire day appeared guest half hour abc news series issues answers discussed views campaign issues claimed north vietnamese government willing negotiate bombing halted forge end hostilities president johnson prepared annual requested equal time television networks president discussed mccarthy kennedy conspiracy theory previous month request rejected later month mccarthy delivered speech students pennsylvania criticized johnson administration afraid negotiate north vietnamese came commented support johnson nominee views closely resembled mccarthy predicting campaign healthy influence johnson picked ultimately win nomination near end january mccarthy campaigned continued anti war rhetoric describing vietnam war american tradition declared nation right destroy nation rationale nation building discussed support normalized relations cuba seven weeks campaigning mccarthy concluded speeches coming poetry substantive campaign messages traveled california stop stanford greeted newspaper headlines asked candidate want speeches end candidacy continued mccarthy worked improve campaign passion gap primary campaign begins mccarthy planned visit miami florida democratic decided stage rally state unclear plan developed white_house tactics away attention mccarthy appearance establishment democrats scheduled meeting days purpose mccarthy visit campaign begin discussion presidential slate florida primary discussed civil rights trip remarking years constant action concern carry promises negro treated colonial people america following speech conference concerned democrats unanimously decided award pledged delegates state florida anonymous poll showed members congress described mccarthy strongest candidate democratic nomination majority naming president johnson gained endorsement americans failed support incumbent democratic president time years later mccarthy announced pennsylvania primary turning signatures filing deadline month march kicked charges media mccarthy campaign dragging cited senate floor failed prevent southern civil rights bill drafted fellow minnesota senator despite setback minnesota elected mccarthy supported delegates vice president president johnson decided abandon massachusetts giving delegates mccarthy described news encouraging point mccarthy spent large time campaigning new_hampshire hoping improve standing state critical primary president johnson campaign circulated slogan communists vietnam watching new_hampshire primary don vote thinking surrender mccarthy likened statement reference senator wisconsin opinion polls prior new_hampshire primary showed mccarthy support stood percent win contest stunned spectators race winning surprising percent vote johnson percent media outlets described results moral victory mccarthy influenced decision enter race march kennedy announcement affect mccarthy campaign remained committed young people supported campaign remarked better qualified run presidency kennedy mccarthy set sights wisconsin began prepare state april primary ran advertisements newspapers state included platform called federal aid education collective rights farmers guaranteed minimum income americans construction million new housing units year federal funds stop pollution wisconsin criticized government saying kind label entity corrupt dictatorship announced intentions enter indiana florida hoped compete california upcoming months march president johnson surprise announcement dropping race seek presidency campaign president johnson dropped immediately prior mccarthy easily won face new challenger ineligible ballot entered race following filing deadline polls suggested mccarthy benefited johnson withdrawal reached percent democratic field points kennedy traveled pennsylvania later month prepare state primary late april discussed north_korea seizing uss stating united_states expect sic pay ransom ships adjacent countries don respect international law clarified suggesting ransom paid agreed president johnson use negotiation correct compared record service kennedy accomplishments civil rights paralleled longer period time senator april mccarthy won receiving votes kennedy appear ballot ran write candidate month mccarthy took advantage decline polls trailing points second place race vice president time polls suggested mccarthy likely democratic rivals defeat republican richard_nixon head head matchup leading percent harris poll campaigning indiana prior state primary mccarthy criticized approach closest democratic rivals stated kinds national unity approach run things kennedy approach combination separate interests groups approach ing fully responsible candidate labeled approach mccarthy lost indiana received percent vote kennedy percent days later mccarthy received votes national presidential primary poll counted votes million students campuses kennedy came second trailing votes regards results mccarthy commented tested enemy know techniques know weaknesses day kennedy defeated mccarthy nebraska primary stall effort reaffirmed compete kennedy oregon california south ended month defeating kennedy oregon primary margin percent victory allowed media observe mccarthy race major contender forced attention shift california scheduled month turn worse mccarthy kennedy vigorously campaigned california beginning june announcing exit race lost state primary candidates appeared televised forums mccarthy criticized debate format june shot los_angeles winning california mccarthy immediately canceled campaign plans placed heavy guard hotel kennedy died day shifting large number delegates popular opinion shift mccarthy mccarthy grief stricken event considered dropping race following kennedy funeral mccarthy privately met johnson discuss future democratic_party later month republican senator oregon assessed democratic situation stating mccarthy chance party nominee wrapped mccarthy spent july attempting delegates clarify positions issues continued strong anti war sentiment mentioning travel paris france discuss peace north vietnamese chief called potential trip mistake talks important partisan politics candidate cited emergency committee gun control chair presidential candidates endorsed group movement control firearms mccarthy argued national registration development system sell mail order guns qualified individuals argued sale rifles left discretion individual states week proposed war hunger help millions americans claimed commenting concern health hungry individual disputed claims matter days later mccarthy way georgia sought additional democratic delegates counter vice president strong organization previous day visited pittsburgh attended rally hoped gain pennsylvania democratic delegates african american vote mccarthy challenged series debates assortment issues vice president accepted invitation modified proposal requesting debate prior month ended approaching mccarthy tried change rules convention focusing great deal unit voting rule gave party bosses control tactics meant compensate delegate lead previously successful campaign battling republican nomination mccarthy plan gain delegates complicated senator south entered race successor legacy entrance effect splitting anti vote mccarthy campaign alleged chairman giving treatment mccarthy asked chairman resignation rejected claims argued candidates receiving exactly treatment hotel space space telephone service tickets transportation phase convention activity eve convention appeared hold lead mccarthy delegates distant delegates men battled streets chicago anti war protests federal troops defended premises convention won nomination ballot despite fact mccarthy won primary vote riots intensified supporters mccarthy urged candidate run fourth party campaign nixon announced run campaign stepped denying endorsement end campaign mccarthy stated set prove people country educated decent judgment evidently politicians afraid face aftermath mccarthy refusal endorse somewhat october candidate laid conditions democratic nominee included shift stance vietnam war change military draft reform democratic machine politics discussed demands mccarthy telephone responded prone start meeting conditions stating case candidate end october mccarthy announced vote nixon eventually won election mccarthy received write votes california arizona listed nominee anti war mccarthy ran democratic nomination soon dropped mounted independent campaign received thousand votes 1980s mccarthy supporter reagan administration tried democratic nomination died december age
Eugene McCarthy presidential campaign, 1968