Keep on rocking me baby
1976 would bring forth the primaries for Democratic Party, starting with the historical Iowa primary, that so many times had been the indicator of the clear frontrunner and probable nominee. This year, however, there were many hats in the ring, as it seemed everybody wanted to be king.
The three frontrunners of course were McGovern, Byrd and Muskie, the later having surprised many with his intention to run, and quickly gaining momentum. What, by last year had seemed like a quick victory for the logical McGovern, by January looked like a fair fight.
They weren’t the only figures in contention of course, as many other politicians of fame within the party had also gained a large support. Some of these, like Senator Harry Jackson of Washington and Governors Jimmy Carter and Jerry Brown of Georgia and California were actually running with enthusiasm, and, though Dark Horses, were far from being irrelevant. Other’s, like Governor Presley, had publicly declared they had no intention to contend the nomination, and yet couldn’t escape the election machine that was fueled by their popularity.
When Iowa came in January 4, the results surprised many, and delighted some. McGovern took the state, but was closely followed by Ed Muskie, and Jimmy Carter in a close third. In Mississippi a few days later, the Winner was neither of those, But Harry Byrd, with over 30% of the vote. In February came Vermont, taken by Muskie, then New Hampshire to McGovern. Finally in March 2nd, one of the biggest blows to the McGovern campaign with Muskie winning Massachusetts by a close margin of 3%. The race was closer than anyone had predicted, and as the candidates begun to realize it a vicious campaign started all over the Country.
In the South, the Byrd campaign would put a large amount of effort on discrediting McGovern, claiming he was simply a pawn in the Kennedy schemes, and a man of few true principles. Byrd’s campaign had already been mostly focused on attacking the Vice-President, so he reaped considerable success, and many of the primaries in the South favored him. When it came to attacking other candidates, however, he proved less effective. In Particular there was Jimmy Carter, himself a southerner, who seemed to syphon some of Byrd’s support for himself.
Carter had first received real attention after he had won the Florida Primary in March, and then his own state of Georgia in May. Some today question if Carter actually believed he could win by then, or if his campaign was simply a way to gain some leverage on the Convention. The Later option seems more likely, as even with his two wins, he carried nowhere near the chances of McGovern or Muskie, and not even Brown, with his support in California. However, being a Southerner with more liberal views then Byrd, some have theorized he could have hoped to be a compromise candidate.
The Midwest would mostly follow McGovern, particularly his home state of South Dakota. The Northeast, though, would be much more of a battleground between Muskie and McGovern. New York, in particular, would be bombarded by ads and speeches praising one candidate over the other, before McGovern took the state in a very close primary, winning by less than 2%.
Tennessee was a singular case, as Governor Presley received a majority of the votes, even not running. From the start, the Governor had thrown his support behind McGovern, as the clear choice of the White House for the nomination. This didn’t seem to factor in the minds of his constituents that seemed adamant in sending him to the Convention with the full support of their state.
By June it seemed that the choice would fall to the Convention, with none of the candidates really taking enough delegates to secure a assured nomination. George McGovern, however, had proved he could withstand the criticism and personal attacks, as he remained the frontrunner. On June 2nd Governor Carter dropped out of the Race. Some speculated he had made a deal with either the Vice-President or Muskie for a place in their Ticket. A few days later, after McGovern took Ohio, it seemed Carter was on the verge of throwing his support behind the Vice-President with his endorsement.
Then the news came out on June 6st. Harry Byrd motorcade was hit by a truck in Detroit. The Senator was on his way to a rally when the vehicle slammed on the side of his car, killing him. The Driver fled the scene, before being found two days later drunk in a bar. That is of course, when all hell broke loose, as the man declared the McGovern Campaign paid him to kill the Senator.
The End and the Beginning of a Era, Marcus P. Edginton
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