The 1968 Republican primaries were quickly becoming a competition between Joseph Niall and Glenn Gage. Rupert Kneller was determined to win as many delegates in the South and in Appalachia as he could, and then have his delegates support Gage at the convention so he could become his running mate. Though Niall and Gage were both from the Midwest, the competition was seen by many as a struggle between the Northeast and the Midwest. The Northeast was internationalist and more moderate or liberal. In contrast, Midwestern Republicans were more isolationist and conservative. These are of course generalizations, but they were true more often than not. Power in the Republican Party had been slipping away from the Eastern establishment for decades. Many in the Northeast, whose ancestors had been Republicans going back all the way to Fremont, looked down on the Midwestern isolationists, who were largely of German descent and whose grandparents likely voted for William Jennings Bryan. Likewise, Midwestern Republicans saw the Northeast as elitist. Niall was the candidate of the Northeast and Gage was the candidate of the Midwest.
The March primaries began in Virginia, where Niall triumphed over Kneller. He also won two narrow victories over Gage in Indiana and Ohio. Gage won Missouri by comfortable margins. Rupert Kneller won his first victory in Tennessee, where he won 41% to Niall’s 32%. He also won a narrow victory in North Carolina. In Nebraska, 57% of Republican Primary voters backed Gage. Augustine Taylor lost his own home state of Maryland to Niall, while Niall won his home state of Michigan. The results of the primaries were satisfactory to Niall. He had won four populous Midwestern states, including states like Ohio that an isolationist like Gage would have a hard time winning without. In April, Rupert Kneller won his home state of Kentucky along with West Virginia. Gage won Idaho and Oklahoma. Niall won Rhode Island, Oregon (where Eugene Cosimo came in second place), Florida, Alabama, and Georgia. By the end of April, most political analysts were convinced that Niall would win the nomination, and Niall switched to speaking exclusively against President Norwood.
Niall’s opponents were not ready to concede yet. Niall won three out of four May contests. He won Vermont, Maine, and Texas. Hawaii voted for Gage, despite being a state full of moderate Republicans, because the anti-war movement was strong there. Meanwhile, the US launched an offensive in France with the aim of breaking into Alsace-Lorraine. The offensive was largely a failure, as faulty intelligence had caused America to underestimate German strength in the area. Casualties were high. On the other side of the world, the US Navy lost a battle off the coast of Luzon. Both were bad news for America, but good news for Niall’s chances to become President. Norwood’s approval dropped below 50% for the first time in his presidency. In the June Primaries, Niall won California, Arizona, New Mexico, Washington, and Utah. Montana, South Dakota, Kansas, and Colorado voted for Gage. South Carolina narrowly voted for Kneller. Niall’s nomination was assured.