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All right this is as it says on the tin, I'll be doing a bare-bones TL here, so any criticism etc is very much welcome as I will no doubt change quite a bit of it as time goes on before doing a nice, shiny TL later down the line. Not much here but I just wanted to start off and see what people think. Again this is prototype so detail will be filled in at later dates.

June 5th 1968: After defeating fellow anti-war candidate Eugene McCarthy in the Democratic California primary, Robert Kennedy is attacked by a gunman in the Ambassador Hotel. He receives only a superficial wound to his right shoulder thanks to the selfless efforts of Arthur Adams a waiter, who bore the brunt of the fire. RFK is quickly taken to a near by hospital and is checked out the following evening.

June 9th 1968: The attempt on his life has boosted Kennedy’s public profile and campaign, the connections with his older brother obvious. McCarthy, holding just over 200 delegates and with no prospect of eclipsing Kennedy as an alternative to Hubert Humphrey, bitterly steps down and vaguely endorses his rival. RFK’s delegates jump to 725, however thanks to his hold over Party leadership, Humphrey controls almost 1000 despite having won no primaries.

June 18th 1968: Kennedy dominates the New York primary easily taking the state, closing the gap between him and ‘HHH’.

August 26th 1968: RFK arrives at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, and is mobbed by supporters and anti-war activists. Humphrey’s supporters, although worried by Kennedy’s rising support (and the remaining 1300 uncommitted delegates), are confident President Johnson’s support and conservative local bosses will see them through. Things do not go to plan however. Mayor Daley, boss of Chicago and a kingmaker in the Democratic Party since the 1930’s sides with Kennedy, recently converted to the anti-war cause, he uses his enormous influence to headhunt numerous party and union leaders for RFK. Meanwhile his VP candidate Senator Yarborough of Texas wins over many moderate Dixie-crats with old school southern liberal grandstanding.

August 28th 1968: After a single round of voting the Kennedy-Yarborough ticket was chosen for the Democratic Party. Images of massive street celebrations (carefully controlled by Daley’s police) by grass root supporters are broadcast across America. Kennedy famously declares “the people have spoken”!

November 5th 1968: Capturing Nixon’s home state of California plus extremely close calls in Illinois, Ohio and New Jersey RFK wins the Presidential Election with 287 electoral votes. Nixon having lost out to two Kennedy’s retires from politics.
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