I guess I coulda voted for him, but I missed out. I was serving an LDS mission in Missouri at the time, did not have residence established there, and never found out how to request an absentee ballot.
My mom and dad said they both voted for Nixon, both times. First time he ran against Humphrey and Wallace, second time against McGovern.
I really don't remember the first election, but I do recall in '72 Nixon was re-elected by a "landslide" margin.
As I recall, there was some kind of pre-election scandal regarding the VP running-mate for McGovern which basically poisoned his campaign late in the game, which was why everyone voted Nixon.
Some of Nixon's problems were certainly of his own making, but I think the Vietnam finale was engineered by others. By that time, there were so many people marching around shouting "Hell, no, we won't go!" and burning their bras that anything resembling pro-war sentiments simply got lost in the noise.
Interesting parallels to present-day circumstances. Imagine a country polarized by opinions regarding military involvement in an unpopular war that has gone on for too long. And political leaders suffering from failed support because they have become so entangled in their own excesses that they can no longer hide their sins from constituents. Along with a media troupe that scents scandal like sharks following a blood trail.
Someone else pointed out that the VP candidate who left the ticket did so because it was revealed that he had undergone psychiatric treatment - the nature of his treatment was not widely disclosed (if at all).
Apparently he didn't tell McGovern either.
A story in the Salt Lake Tribune.
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