Democrat Election Pin 35mm Button 1972 George McGovern Vice President Eagleton For Sale

TheGeorge McGovern 1972 presidential campaignbegan whenUnited States SenatorGeorge McGovernfromSouth Dakotalaunched his second candidacy for thePresidency of the United Statesin an ultimately unsuccessful offer to win the1972 presidential electionagainst incumbent presidentRichard Nixon, winning only in theDistrict of Columbiaand the state ofMassachusetts. McGovern vied to become the first South Dakota native to become president.

McGovern had runa short presidential campaign in 1968, acting as a stand-in for the assassinatedRobert F. Kennedyleading up to the1968 Democratic National Convention. McGovern then spent the remainder of the general election campaign ensuringhis own re-election to the Senate.

But following the 1968 convention, he had planned on running for president again, a decision he solidified in January 1969.[3]He began hiring legislative aides who could double as campaign policy staff, press secretaries, and the like.[3]McGovern hired an agent to book speaking engagements, and in early 1969 began doing an average of three appearances a week.

George Stanley McGovern(July 19, 1922– October 21, 2012) was an American historian and South Dakota politician who was aU.S. representativeand three-termU.S. senator, and theDemocratic Partypresidential nominee in the1972 presidential election.

McGovern grew up inMitchell, South Dakota, where he became a renowned debater. He volunteered for theU.S.Army Air Forcesupon the country\'sentry into World WarII. As aB-24 Liberatorpilot, he flew 35missions overGerman-occupied Europefrom a base in Italy. Among the medals he received was aDistinguished Flying Crossfor making a hazardous emergency landing of his damaged plane and saving his crew. After the war he earned degrees fromDakota Wesleyan UniversityandNorthwestern University, culminating in a PhD, and served as a history professor. He was elected to the U.S.House of Representatives in 1956 and re-elected in 1958. After a failed offer for the U.S.Senatein 1960, he was a successful candidatein 1962.

As a senator, McGovern was an example ofmodern American liberalism. He became most known for his outspoken opposition to the growing U.S.involvement in theVietnam War. He staged a brief nomination run in the1968 presidential electionas a stand-in for the assassinatedRobert F. Kennedy. The subsequentMcGovern–Fraser Commissionfundamentally altered the presidential nominating process, by increasing the number ofcaucusesandprimariesand reducing the influence of party insiders. TheMcGovern–Hatfield Amendmentsought to end the Vietnam War by legislative means but was defeated in 1970 and 1971. McGovern\'s long-shot, grassroots-based1972 presidential campaignfound triumph in gaining the Democratic nomination but left the party split ideologically, and the failed vice-presidential pick ofThomas Eagletonundermined McGovern\'s credibility. In the general election McGovern lost to incumbentRichard Nixonin one of the biggestlandslidesin U.S. electoral history. Though re-elected to the Senate in 1968 and 1974, McGovern was defeated in his offer for a fourth term in 1980.