The 1960’s was composed of years of tragedy and restoration for the United States of America. After the death of John F. Kennedy, on November 22, 1963, the country was seeking a new leader that would keep Kennedy’s legacy alive and carry out his plans at such a divided time in society. The death of Kennedy was followed by the election of 1964. The Presidential election included two candidates: a Senator from Arizona named Barry Goldwater who sought the Republican nomination and incumbent, Lyndon Johnson, who was of the Democratic party. Goldwater attracted conservatives but unlike Johnson, did not attract the media. Through his ads, Johnson was delineated as a peacemaker, who as an incumbent changed America norms. “Goldwater made moral leadership a major theme of his campaign.” The 1964 election resulted in an anomaly which many would consider party betrayal. In light of the civil rights issues, racial polarity, and unlikely results, these two candidates conferred two different perspectives to determine potential American votes and a …show more content…
Johnson won 44 of the 50 states including the District of Columbia. “In the popular vote is the fifth-largest such margin in Presidential election history.” Johnson won 42,825,463 (61%) and Goldwater won 27,146,969 of the popular votes. The electoral votes difference was great with Johnson at 486 electoral votes and Goldwater at 52 electoral votes. Due to Johnson’s Civil Right Act, southerners were no longer convinced. Goldwater took leads in Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, and South Carolina. Johnson took votes from these swing states: Alaska, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, and Wyoming.According to a poll, about 94% of non-whites voted for Johnson, while on 6% voted for Goldwater. Johnson’s win resulted in a record in history where polls showed that many republicans, instead of voting with their party, voted for