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The 1964 United States presidential election was the 45th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on Tuesday, November 3, 1964. Incumbent president John Pastore was unseated in an attempt at an election to a full term by New Netherland Governor Nelson Rockefeller, in a race between the two and Socialist nominee James L. Farmer and recurring Kosuto Bloc nominee Spark Matsunaga. With 48.2% of the popular vote, Rockefeller came close to breaking James Forrestal's record total in 1944, despite winning by only a decent margin across the nation. Nonetheless, Rockefeller's victory began an era that saw the shift of the Republican Party from conservatism to social liberalism.
Pastore had come to office when his predecessor, Robert Stanfield, resigned from office amidst the Emoluments Clause scandal and his unpopular handling of the United States' invasion of San Esteban. As a result, the Populists broke with the Democratic caucus and did not field a candidate in protest. The Republican primary was contested between Rockefeller and former vice president Richard Nixon, who had lost the 1960 election by a narrow margin, with the former coming out victorious on the convention's ninth ballot. Pastore had multiple challenges to his renomination, but was able to convince the party establishment to back him after he publicly renounced his prior allegiance to Stanfield. The Socialists continued with the tradition of nominating African-Columbian candidates, and James L. Farmer was nominated alongside Victor Reuther during the party's convention. The Kosuto Bloc again nominated Spark Matsunaga for the presidency, using its policy of "deterrence" to deny any other party possible victories in the state during the ensuing congressional and midterm elections.
Rockefeller won the election by a wide margin, taking the majority of the popular and state vote due to Pastore's unpopularity. This election is notable for the voter turnout in swing states; a large portion of voters in the Midwest did not participate due to the temporary absence of mandatory voting laws, resulting in Pastore winning a larger share of the popular vote than Farmer despite carrying less states. The Kosuto Bloc won its main base, though improved its margins in Van Buren and other western states. Rockefeller's running mate, Margaret Chase Smith, became the first female vice president in history.