U.S. presidential election, 1964

The U.S. presidential election of 1964 occurred in the aftermath of the assassination of John F. Kennedy in 1963. Supporters were saddened by the loss of the charismatic president, while opposition candidates were in the awkward situation of running against the policies of a slain president.

Nominations

Democratic Party nomination

During the mourning period following the assassination of President Kennedy, Republican leaders called for a political moratorium, perhaps so as not to appear disrespectful. Most political pundits agreed the political outlook following the assassination of the president was quite unclear for some time. The new president, Lyndon B. Johnson, capitalized on this situation, using a combination of the national mood and his own political savvy to push Kennedy's agenda; most notably, the Civil Rights Act of 1964. By the time of the national convention, Johnson was unassailable, and easily won the Democratic nomination.

Related Topics:
Mourning - Assassination of President Kennedy - Moratorium - Political pundit - Assassination - Lyndon B. Johnson - Civil Rights Act of 1964

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At that time there was no provision for replacing a vice president, so the office had remained vacant. Johnson chose Senator Hubert H. Humphrey as his running mate.

Related Topics:
Vice president - Office - Senator - Hubert H. Humphrey

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Republican Party nomination

The Republican Party was more divided. Richard Nixon, who had been beaten by Kennedy in a close election, and subsequently lost the 1962 election for Governor of California, decided not to run. Barry Goldwater, a Senator from Arizona, was the champion of the conservative wing of the party, which was dissatisfied with what it perceived as the dominance of the party's Eastern liberal wing. Goldwater was opposed most notably by Nelson Rockefeller, the Governor of New York, and William Scranton, the Governor of Pennsylvania.

Related Topics:
Richard Nixon - 1962 - Governor of California - Barry Goldwater - Senator - Arizona - Conservative - Liberal - Nelson Rockefeller - Governor of New York - William Scranton - Governor of Pennsylvania

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In the New Hampshire primary, the voters gave a surprising victory to the ambassador to South Vietnam, Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr., Nixon's running mate in 1960 and a former Massachusetts senator, who was a write-in candidate.

Related Topics:
New Hampshire - Ambassador - South Vietnam - Henry Cabot Lodge, Jr. - 1960 - Massachusetts - Senator - Write-in

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Despite this defeat, Goldwater won the nomination, helped partly by an endorsement from Nixon. In accepting his nomination, he uttered his most famous phrase: "I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue."

Related Topics:
Nomination - Endorsement - Extremism - Liberty - Justice

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