Democrat Primary Field Expands (PJW)

September 22, 1971
NEW YORK: Despite Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy and last year's nominee Eugene McCarthy announcing they would not be running for the presidency, the Democrat primary has expanded even more, and the Democrat nomination might just be as chaotic as last year.

Senator George McGovern of South Dakota, Senator Hubert Humphrey of Minnesota, and Senator Edmund Muskie have all announced the beginning of their campaigns. McGovern is running on a platform of peace and progressive values, and a focus on ending the escalation of the conflict in Vietnam. Humphrey, narrowly outmaneuvered in last year's convention, repeats many of the promises from the last election's campaign, including bringing all Americans from the dark, turbulent domestic life into the "bright sunshine" of tomorrow. Muskie's campaign includes promises of a cleaner environment, reforms in the White House - a clear response to the ongoing investigations into the possible criminal activities of Vice President Spiro Agnew and President Richard Nixon -  and withdrawing American troops from Vietnam while maintaining peace there.

There is no clear front runner among the three. McGovern is accused of being "soft" on communism, and, with his main base of supporters coming from the troubled youths of today, he might not draw up much from support from the older crowd of votes. "Turncloak Humphrey" as the scandal-ridden once acting president Daniel Brewster called him, still suffers from the choice of supporting Lyndon B. Johnson's independent run in 1964. Many Democrats still hold anger toward the liberals of the party for leaving in '64, as well as supporting the "un-electable" liberal McCarthy in '68, despite the fact that their own moderate and conservative candidates were equally "un-electable" as well. Muskie doesn't suffer from too many problems, but his plans for reforms has led to many seeing him as no better than McGovern, which could drive some voters away.

The three candidates join Senator Henry "Scoop" Jackson from Washington and former Governor of California Terry Sanford in a close race. With the Republican Party imploding due to scandals, strong third party showings from the Citizens', and no clear Democrat front runner, this election might just as well be one of the closest in history.