Up for Grabs

In 1968, the New Hampshire primary significantly reshaped the presidential race. On the Democratic side, Eugene McCarthy’s surprisingly strong showing contributed to President Johnson’s decision to drop out of the race. On the Republican side, Michigan Governor George Romney’s weak polling numbers caused him to withdraw just before the primary leaving a clear path to the nomination for Richard Nixon.

The urgency of the draft, the Vietnam War, and the rumor that Nelson Rockefeller ’30 might enter the race made the primary particularly poignant to Dartmouth students. The Dartmouth provided extensive coverage and the 1968 Aegis devoted four pages to the political excitement.

All sticker and posters in this case came from MS-1147 Box 4 unless otherwise noted.

1. Campaign Buttons:
   1. “Nixon’s the One!” button The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 3
   2. “HHH Humphrey” button The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 3
   3. “Rockefeller in ‘68” button The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 3
   4. “Romney ‘68” button The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 3
   5. “McCarthy’s Millions” button The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 3
   6. “Rockefeller” lapel pin The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 3
2. Stickers:
   1. “McC” flower sticker The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 2, folder 19
   2. “Eugene McCarthy” flower sticker The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 2 folder 19
   3. “LBJ” sticker The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 4
   4. “HHH” sticker The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 4
   5. “Rocky” flower sticker The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 2, folder 10
   6. “Another Republican for Johnson” bumper sticker The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 4
   7. “Win with Nixon” bumper sticker The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 4
   8. “Whoever You’re Pulling For VOTE” bumper sticker The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 4
3. Posters:
   1. “McCarthy Speaks to New Hampshire” The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 4
   2. “At Last Democrats had a Political Alternative” The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 4
   3. “Rocky has Never Lost an Election” The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 4
   4. “Romney Great for ’68” The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 4
4. Flyers and documents:
   1. “Why are these men for Nixon” The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 2, folder 9
   2. John Neale letter supporting President Johnson, March 7, 1968 The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 2, folder 24
   3. Receipt for “2 6 paks of Beer for Paul Newman” The Papers of David C. Hoeh, ML-56, Box 6, folder 2
   4. “Come Meet Senator Eugene McCarthy at a Fund Raising Cocktail Party” invitation The Ralph E. and William W. Becker Collection of American Campaign Materials, MS-1147, Box 2, folder 19
   5. The Aegis 1968

New Hampshire has held a Presidential preferential primary  since 1916, but it wasn’t until 1952, under new election laws designed to increase voter turnout, that the nation turned to New Hampshire to test the presidential waters.  Candidates entered, or left, the race based on the primary’s results.  For 10 election years, 1952 through 1988, the person elected president in November had also won his party’s primary in New Hampshire. It’s not hard to see why every four years politics in New Hampshire is big news.

1. The 1952 primary season was a rarity, when a challenge to either party’s incumbent President was successful.
2. John F. Kennedy campaigning on campus in 1960. Digital photo records.
3. Gary Hart at a press conference at the Hanover Inn in 1987, campaigning for the 1988 New Hampshire primary. He dropped out of the race two days later.
4. Dartmouth College Journalists' Guide to the New Hampshire Presidential Primary 2000, DC History JK 2075.N42 D37 2000
5. First Step to the White House: The New Hampshire Primary, 1952-1980, by Charles Brereton; Papers of William Dunfey, MS-1039, Box 24
6. First Primary: Presidential Politics in New Hampshire, Manchester Union Leader, 1987; Papers of William Dunfey, MS-1039, Box 24
7. First in the Nation: New Hampshire and the Premiere Presidential Primary, Charles Brereton, 1987; Alumni R59fir.

Winners of New Hampshire Presidential Primary, 1952 – 2012