Why did Richard Nixon ordered the break in of the DNC Watergate complex when he was a really popular president running against an unconvincing and divisive democratic candidate?

by GancioTheRanter

I'm not an expert on the issue so the question might sound nonsensical to some, but the Watergate scandal is one of the most important events in US history and I would like to better understand Nixon's reasoning behind the break in.

Anbaraen

Always more to add of course, but you might be interested in this thread about the exact same topic a couple of years ago;

Nixon won re-election in 1972 with the widest popular vote margin in American history, and consistently led in Gallup polling by wide margins in the months leading up to the election. If his re-election bid was expected to be a walk in the park, why did he break the law to undermine the Democrats?

In particular, this answer by /u/The_Alaskan gives quite a comprehensive overview. At their time of writing, they were of the opinion that there is no definite answer (yet).