1964 United States presidential election (A Sad day in November)

The 1964 United States presidential election was the 45th quadrennial American presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 3, 1964.The Democratic nominee,former senator Hubert Humphrey defeated the republican nominee,incumbent governor of new york Neslon Rockefeller.

Incumbent Democratic President John W. McCormack did not seek reelection aand supported former senator Hubert Humphrey for the Democratic nomination.Humphrey won the presidential nomination at the 1964 Democratic National Convention, which saw numerous anti-war protests. Nelson Rockefeller entered the 1964 Republican primaries as the front-runner, and he defeated Barry goldwater and Governor William Scranton of Pennsylvania at the 1964 Republican National Convention.

Humphrey carried 34 states and the District of Colombia,which voted for the first time in this election.Rockefeller won his home state and dominated the states of New England.

Assassination of President John F. Kennedy
While on the first campaign stop of his re-election campaign, President Kennedy was assassinated on November 22, 1963 in Dallas, Texas. Supporters were shocked and saddened by the loss of the charismatic President, while opposition candidates were put in the awkward position of running against the policies of a slain political figure.On the same day president Lyndon b,Johnsson was accidentely shot and killed by a secret service agent.Per the presidential lines of succesion the then speaker of the house would succeed.

Campaign
Rockefeller was succesfull in rallying the more liberal parts of the Republican party,but he was unable to broaden his support for the general election.Rockefeller said that he would support a natinal policy on desegregation in all states if he was elected.This gained him some african-american voters but most went to Humphrey.he recived the endoresements of many prominent republicans,including former president Dwight D.Eisenhower and governor George Romney of Michigan.

when the campaign began Humphrey led in most polls and challanged Rockefeller to four televised debates in which he was widely considered the winner of them all.Humprey promised to expand civil rights and desegregate school and to continue president kenedyes policies.He also said that if he was elected that he would begin peace negotians with the viet cong and withdraw from vietnam.In late october Senator Eugene McCarthy finally endorsed Humphrey after having previusly refusing to do so.

Election
The election on November 5, 1964 proved to be to close to call on the election day and it took until the morning of november 6th until Humphrey was declared the winner.The key states proved to be California,Illonois,Pensylvania and Florida.Florida was the most widely contested one as Humphrey carried it by a narrow margin of 20 000 votes.Humphrey won the popular vote by a margin of 3 million votes.