1968 United States presidential election — 46th quadrennial U.S. presidential election
Nixon's narrow 1968 victory ended the Democratic New Deal Coalition's dominance and began a lasting Republican realignment in the South.
Key Facts
- Popular vote margin
- ~500,000 votes (0.7%)
- Electoral College margin
- Nixon won by 110 electoral votes
- Third-party electoral votes
- George Wallace carried multiple Southern states
- Tipping point state
- Ohio, won by Nixon by 90,000 votes (2.3%)
- Voter Rights context
- First election after Voting Rights Act of 1965
- Election date
- November 5, 1968
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
A turbulent political climate—marked by the assassinations of Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert F. Kennedy, widespread Vietnam War protests, and riots—fractured the Democratic Party. Lyndon B. Johnson withdrew after a poor New Hampshire primary showing, leaving a divided field. George Wallace's third-party candidacy drew conservative Southern Democrats, while Hubert Humphrey's support for the war alienated the anti-war left.
On November 5, 1968, Republican Richard Nixon and running mate Spiro Agnew defeated Democrat Hubert Humphrey and American Independent George Wallace. Nixon campaigned on restoring 'law and order' and appealing to a 'silent majority,' employing a Southern strategy in the Upper South. Though Humphrey narrowed the gap late in the race, Nixon secured a slim popular vote win and a more decisive Electoral College majority of 301 votes.
Nixon's victory shattered the Democratic New Deal Coalition that had dominated presidential politics since 1932, accelerating the realignment of Southern white voters toward the Republican Party. Wallace remained the last third-party candidate (as of 2026) to carry any states in a presidential election. Nixon's win ushered in a new era of Republican electoral strategy centered on socially conservative and working-class white voters.
Political Outcome
Republican Richard Nixon won the presidency, defeating Democrat Hubert Humphrey and third-party candidate George Wallace in a close popular vote (0.7% margin) but a decisive Electoral College win of 301–191.
Democratic administration under Lyndon B. Johnson
Republican administration under Richard Nixon