In my opinion, Robert F. Kennedy was destined to run for President in 1968, as he did IOTL. The combination of Vietnam, urban decay, and Kennedy’s own disapproval of President Johnson, make his entry inevitable. However, IOTL Kennedy dragged his feet on the decision. He, as well as several Kennedy alumni, believed that running would not only split the Democratic Party and get Richard Nixon elected, but also that it would harm Kennedy’s career, and that 1972 was going to be his year, not 1968. Despite this, several others wanted Kennedy to run, such as his own wife Ethel, his biographer Jack Newfield, and most notably Allard Lowenstein, who was searching for a candidate to spearhead a “Dump Johnson” anti-war candidacy in the Democratic primaries, and Kennedy was his number one pick.
On September 23rd, 1967, Lowenstein was spending the second of two nights at Kennedy’s home, Old Hickory, in the suburbs of Washington D.C. What occurred that night was an impassioned debate over whether Kennedy should run or not, all while Kennedy lounged on a sofa, humorously wearing hippie beads, lost in thought and considering the proposals. Kennedy would sympathize with Lowenstein often, however his cautious side would win out and Kennedy would decline to be Lowenstein’s champion, instead recommending his friend and fellow Senator George McGovern, who would also turn down the offer. After weeks of searching by November 1967 Lowenstein would settle on the one person who accepted - Eugene McCarthy, who while at first was underwhelming to the anti-war crowd, would go on to score an upset in the New Hampshire primary, garnering 42% of the vote to Johnson’s 49%, an embarrassing performance for an incumbent president and proof that the anti-war vote was a force to be reckoned with. After this, Kennedy would finally decide to jump in, and we know the rest from there, his rivalry with McCarthy, his victory in California, and of course his tragic death in that kitchen in the Ambassador Hotel. This is the most common POD for RFK TLs, averting his death, however I agree with several assessments that had Kennedy lived, he still would not have won the nomination, and I blame McCarthy’s candidacy, which could have been avoided had Kennedy not dragged his feet on running, as it split the anti-war vote and forced Kennedy to focus on McCarthy as his primary rival, while Humphrey locked up the nomination from behind the scenes.
I’ve been interested in writing a 1968 RFK TL for five years now, ever since I first came to this site in March 2018. Lately, I’ve revisited these old ideas, and am even doing research on the 1968 election by rereading “An American Melodrama” by Lewis Chester, an excellent retelling of the 1968 election. Right now I’m trying to figure out how to plausibly get Kennedy to run before McCarthy is approached, thus avoiding the anti-war vote being split and Kennedy losing favor with a key constituency in the primaries: young, college-educated, anti-war voters. However, I am struggling to come up with a justification or scenario that could get Kennedy to finally overcome his caution and decide to go with his heart. If anyone can help me think of any ideas, I would greatly appreciate it!
On September 23rd, 1967, Lowenstein was spending the second of two nights at Kennedy’s home, Old Hickory, in the suburbs of Washington D.C. What occurred that night was an impassioned debate over whether Kennedy should run or not, all while Kennedy lounged on a sofa, humorously wearing hippie beads, lost in thought and considering the proposals. Kennedy would sympathize with Lowenstein often, however his cautious side would win out and Kennedy would decline to be Lowenstein’s champion, instead recommending his friend and fellow Senator George McGovern, who would also turn down the offer. After weeks of searching by November 1967 Lowenstein would settle on the one person who accepted - Eugene McCarthy, who while at first was underwhelming to the anti-war crowd, would go on to score an upset in the New Hampshire primary, garnering 42% of the vote to Johnson’s 49%, an embarrassing performance for an incumbent president and proof that the anti-war vote was a force to be reckoned with. After this, Kennedy would finally decide to jump in, and we know the rest from there, his rivalry with McCarthy, his victory in California, and of course his tragic death in that kitchen in the Ambassador Hotel. This is the most common POD for RFK TLs, averting his death, however I agree with several assessments that had Kennedy lived, he still would not have won the nomination, and I blame McCarthy’s candidacy, which could have been avoided had Kennedy not dragged his feet on running, as it split the anti-war vote and forced Kennedy to focus on McCarthy as his primary rival, while Humphrey locked up the nomination from behind the scenes.
I’ve been interested in writing a 1968 RFK TL for five years now, ever since I first came to this site in March 2018. Lately, I’ve revisited these old ideas, and am even doing research on the 1968 election by rereading “An American Melodrama” by Lewis Chester, an excellent retelling of the 1968 election. Right now I’m trying to figure out how to plausibly get Kennedy to run before McCarthy is approached, thus avoiding the anti-war vote being split and Kennedy losing favor with a key constituency in the primaries: young, college-educated, anti-war voters. However, I am struggling to come up with a justification or scenario that could get Kennedy to finally overcome his caution and decide to go with his heart. If anyone can help me think of any ideas, I would greatly appreciate it!
