Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated shortly after giving a speech that came on the coattails of his victory in the 1968 Democratic California primary. He was a major critic of the Vietnam War and worked on a platform of bringing people of all backgrounds together. The Democrats later chose Hubert Humphrey, LBJ's vice president, who was a supporter of the Vietnam War. For eight days protesters gathered at the Democrat National Convention with frequent clashes with the police.

In the end the Republican Nominee Richard Nixon won the general election with 301 electoral votes.