1968 United States presidential election in New Hampshire

Last updated

1968 United States presidential election In New Hampshire
Flag of New Hampshire.svg
  1964 November 5, 1968 1972  
  Nixon 30-0316a (cropped).jpg Hubert Humphrey in New York, 1968 (3x4 crop).jpg
Nominee Richard Nixon Hubert Humphrey
Party Republican Democratic
Home state New York [lower-alpha 1] Minnesota
Running mate Spiro Agnew Edmund Muskie
Electoral vote40
Popular vote154,903130,589
Percentage52.10%43.93%

New Hampshire Presidential Election Results 1968.svg
New Hampshire Presidential Results 1968 by Municipality.svg

President before election

Lyndon B. Johnson
Democratic

Elected President

Richard Nixon
Republican

The 1968 United States presidential election in New Hampshire took place on November 5, 1968, as part of the 1968 United States presidential election, which was held throughout all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Voters chose four representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

Contents

New Hampshire was won by the Republican nominees, former Vice President Richard Nixon of California and his running mate Governor Spiro Agnew of Maryland. Nixon and Agnew defeated the Democratic nominees, incumbent Vice President Hubert H. Humphrey of Minnesota and his running mate Senator Edmund Muskie of Maine.

Nixon took 52.10% of the vote to Humphrey's 43.93%, a margin of 8.18%. [1]

Like the rest of Upper New England, New Hampshire in this era normally leaned Republican, however the state had voted overwhelmingly Democratic just four years earlier in 1964, when the staunch conservatism of Republican Barry Goldwater drove the liberal Northeastern United States, including New Hampshire, to deliver landslide victories to Democratic incumbent Lyndon B. Johnson. In 1964 Johnson had carried New Hampshire by a landslide 64–36 margin.

In 1968, the GOP sought to recover from their crippling defeat with Goldwater, and the party looked to former Vice President and the party’s narrowly defeated 1960 presidential nominee, Richard Nixon. Nixon was seen as a mainstream moderate Republican who could unite the competing factions of the Republican Party, and win back the moderate voters that Goldwater had alienated. The party recovered successfully and won back the White House and New Hampshire was returned to the Republican column. However, with four of the six New England states voting for Humphrey, New Hampshire became one of the two New England states (the other being neighboring Vermont) to vote for Nixon.

The “George Wallace Party” candidate, Southern populist Governor George Wallace of Alabama, did not have a serious impact on the race. While taking 13.53% nationally and winning electoral votes from five Southern states, Wallace would take only 3.76% of the vote in New Hampshire. Wallace’s base of support was in the South, and he had practically no appeal in Northeastern states like New Hampshire. New Hampshire would be Wallace’s fifth weakest state in the nation.

Results

1968 United States presidential election in New Hampshire [1]
PartyCandidateVotesPercentageElectoral votes
Republican Richard Nixon 154,90352.10%4
Democratic Hubert H. Humphrey 130,58943.93%0
George Wallace Party George Wallace 11,1733.76%0
New Party Electors No Candidate [lower-alpha 2] 4210.14%0
Write-ins Write-ins 1090.04%0
Socialist Workers Fred Halstead 1040.03%0
Totals297,299100.00%4
Voter Turnout (Voting age/Registered)70%/79%

Results by county

CountyRichard Nixon [2]
Republican
Hubert Humphrey [2]
Democratic
George Wallace [2]
George Wallace Party
Various candidates [2]
Other parties
MarginTotal votes cast
# %# %# %# %# %
Belknap 8,64261.42%4,94235.12%4543.23%330.23%3,70026.30%14,071
Carroll 6,79572.93%2,16323.22%3483.74%110.12%4,63249.71%9,317
Cheshire 10,70252.64%9,13544.93%4412.17%540.27%1,5677.71%20,332
Coös 6,82244.02%8,26153.31%3992.57%150.10%-1,439-9.29%15,497
Grafton 12,88159.76%7,81336.25%7273.37%1330.62%5,06823.51%21,554
Hillsborough 42,40946.01%45,42349.28%4,2314.59%1060.12%-3,014-3.27%92,169
Merrimack 19,28957.94%12,71138.18%1,2013.61%900.27%6,57819.76%33,291
Rockingham 28,84254.98%21,19540.41%2,3334.45%860.16%7,64714.57%52,456
Strafford 12,42747.28%13,12949.95%6502.47%770.29%-702-2.67%26,283
Sullivan 6,09449.43%5,81747.19%3893.16%280.23%2772.24%12,328
Total154,90352.10%130,58943.93%11,1733.76%6340.21%24,3148.17%297,299

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

Analysis

The county map results followed a familiar pattern of the post-New Deal era, with Nixon winning seven counties to Humphrey’s three. Since Franklin Roosevelt’s election in 1932, in every close election or Democratic victory, Hillsborough County, Strafford County, and Coös County would vote Democratic, while Carroll County would be the most Republican county. This pattern endured in 1968 for the last time, with Humphrey winning the three core New Deal Democratic counties, while Carroll County was the only county in the state where Nixon broke seventy percent of the vote. Humphrey's strongest county was Coös County, which he won by a 53–44 margin making this one of only three occurrences since 1892 where it has supported a losing presidential candidate. Nixon thus became the first Republican to win the White House without carrying Coös County since Benjamin Harrison in 1888 and the first ever to win without Strafford County. [3]

As Nixon narrowly eked out a victory over Humphrey nationally, New Hampshire's results in 1968 made the state about 7% more Republican than the national average. As of 2020, this is the most recent election in which New Hampshire was not the most Republican state in New England, as Nixon won Vermont by a slightly wider margin. Hillsborough County would not vote Democratic again until 1996, and Strafford County until 1992. Nixon had previously won New Hampshire in 1960 and would later win it again in 1972. Nixon's victory was the first of six consecutive Republican victories in the state, as New Hampshire would not vote for a Democratic candidate again until Bill Clinton in 1992. Since then it has become a Democratic-leaning swing state.

See also

Notes

  1. Although he was born in California and he served as a U.S. Senator from California, in 1968 Richard Nixon’s official state of residence was New York, because he moved there to practice law after his defeat in the 1962 California gubernatorial election. During his first term as president, Nixon re-established his residency in California. Consequently, most reliable reference books list Nixon’s home state as New York in the 1968 election and his home state as California in the 1972 (and 1960) election.
  2. These electors were originally pledged to Eugene McCarthy but withdrew their pledge before the poll. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1968 United States presidential election</span> 46th quadrennial U.S. presidential election

The 1968 United States presidential election was the 46th quadrennial presidential election, held on Tuesday, November 5, 1968. The Republican nominee, former vice president Richard Nixon, defeated both the Democratic nominee, incumbent vice president Hubert Humphrey, and the American Independent Party nominee, former Alabama governor George Wallace.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1968 United States presidential election in North Carolina</span>

The 1968 United States presidential election in North Carolina took place on November 5, 1968, and was part of the 1968 United States presidential election. Voters chose 13 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1968 United States presidential election in New Mexico</span>

The 1968 United States presidential election in New Mexico took place on November 5, 1968. All fifty states and The District of Columbia, were part of the 1968 United States presidential election. State voters chose four electors to represent them in the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1968 United States presidential election in New York</span>

The 1968 United States presidential election in New York took place on November 5, 1968. All 50 states and the District of Columbia, were part of the 1968 United States presidential election. Voters chose 43 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1968 United States presidential election in Massachusetts</span>

The 1968 United States presidential election in Massachusetts took place on November 5, 1968, as part of the 1968 United States presidential election, which was held throughout all 50 states and D.C. Voters chose 14 representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1972 United States presidential election in Vermont</span>

The 1972 United States presidential election in Vermont took place on November 7, 1972, as part of the 1972 United States presidential election which was held throughout all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Voters chose three representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1968 United States presidential election in Vermont</span>

The 1968 United States presidential election in Vermont took place on November 5, 1968, as part of the 1968 United States presidential election which was held throughout all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Voters chose three representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1968 United States presidential election in New Jersey</span>

The 1968 United States presidential election in New Jersey took place on November 5, 1968. All 50 states and the District of Columbia, were part of the 1968 United States presidential election. Voters chose 17 electors to the Electoral College, which selected the president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1972 United States presidential election in New Hampshire</span>

The 1972 United States presidential election in New Hampshire took place on November 7, 1972, as part of the 1972 United States presidential election, which was held throughout all 50 states and D.C. Voters chose four representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1964 United States presidential election in New Hampshire</span>

The 1964 United States presidential election in New Hampshire took place on November 5, 1964, as part of the 1964 United States presidential election, which was held throughout all 50 states and D.C. Voters chose four representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1960 United States presidential election in New Hampshire</span>

The 1960 United States presidential election in New Hampshire took place on November 8, 1960, as part of the 1960 United States presidential election, which was held throughout all 50 states. Voters chose four representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1952 United States presidential election in New Hampshire</span>

The 1952 United States presidential election in New Hampshire took place on November 4, 1952, as part of the 1952 United States presidential election, which was held throughout all contemporary 48 states. Voters chose four representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1948 United States presidential election in New Hampshire</span>

The 1948 United States presidential election in New Hampshire took place on November 2, 1948, as part of the 1948 United States presidential election, which was held throughout all contemporary 48 states. Voters chose four representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1968 United States presidential election in Texas</span>

The 1968 United States presidential election in Texas was held on November 5, 1968. All 50 states and the District of Columbia, were part of the 1968 United States presidential election. The state chose 25 electors to represent them in the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1968 United States presidential election in Illinois</span>

The 1968 United States presidential election in Illinois took place on November 5, 1968, as part of the overall 1968 United States presidential election. Illinois voters selected 26 electors to represent the state in the Electoral College, which would then choose the president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1968 United States presidential election in Mississippi</span>

The 1968 United States presidential election in Mississippi was held on November 5, 1968. Mississippi voters chose seven electors, or representatives to the Electoral College, who voted for President and Vice-President. During the 1960s, the Civil Rights Movement dictated Mississippi's politics, with effectively the entire white population vehemently opposed to federal policies of racial desegregation and black voting rights. In 1960, the state had been narrowly captured by a slate of unpledged Democratic electors, but in 1964 universal white opposition to the Civil Rights Act and negligible black voter registration meant that white Mississippians turned almost unanimously to Republican Barry Goldwater. Goldwater's support for "constitutional government and local self-rule" meant that the absence from the ballot of "states' rights" parties or unpledged electors was unimportant. The Arizona Senator was one of only six Republicans to vote against the Civil Rights Act, and so the small electorate of Mississippi supported him almost unanimously.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1968 United States presidential election in Tennessee</span>

The 1968 United States presidential election in Tennessee took place on November 5, 1968. All 50 states and the District of Columbia were part of the 1968 United States presidential election. Tennessee voters chose 11 electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1968 United States presidential election in Wyoming</span>

The 1968 United States presidential election in Wyoming took place on November 5, 1968. All 50 states and the District of Columbia were part of the 1968 United States presidential election. State voters chose three electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1968 United States presidential election in Michigan</span>

The 1968 United States presidential election in Michigan was held on November 5, 1968. All 50 states and The District of Columbia, were part of the 1968 United States presidential election. Voters chose 21 electors to represent them in the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1968 United States presidential election in Connecticut</span>

The 1968 United States presidential election in Connecticut took place on November 5, 1968, as part of the 1968 United States presidential election, which was held throughout all 50 states and D.C. Voters chose eight representatives, or electors to the Electoral College, who voted for president and vice president.

References

  1. 1 2 "1968 Presidential General Election Results – New Hampshire". Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections. Retrieved November 16, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Our Campaigns; NH US President Race, November 05, 1968
  3. The Political Graveyard; Coös County Votes for President