Dump Johnson movement
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Dump Johnson movement was a movement within the United States Democratic Party to oppose the candidacy of President of the United States Lyndon B. Johnson to become the party's nominee in the 1968 presidential election. Their opposition to Johnson stemmed mainly from their opposition to the Vietnam War.
The organized movement was started in 1967 by Allard K. Lowenstein and Midge Miller. They first approached Robert F. Kennedy to be a candidate. When he declined, they turned to Eugene McCarthy. After McCarthy's strong showing in the New Hampshire primary led to Johnson's withdrawal from the race, Kennedy belatedly entered the race, splitting the anti-war opposition between two candidates. Although Kennedy's candidacy (which ended with his assassination after the California primary) drew more support from the electorate than McCarthy's, Lowenstein and Miller remained committed to McCarthy, seeing Kennedy's late entry as opportunistic and divisive.