Pinback button promoting Hubert Humphrey for president and Eugene McCarthy for vice president, 1968. Columbia Adv. Co., Richmond Hill, New York.Following Lyndon Johnson's surprise decision not to run, and Robert Kennedy's shocking assassination, two contenders were left in the Democratic race for the nomination: Senator Eugene McCarthy and Vice President Hubert Humphrey. McCarthy had a strong grassroots organization, but Humphrey had the endorsement of labor and machine politicians, not to mention the tacit support of the White House.
The idea of a joint ticket held some promise for unifying the fractured party, but insiders loyal to Johnson blamed McCarthy for toppling the president, and McCarthy's young and idealistic followers could accept no compromise with a man they believed represented the status quo. As a consequence, few buttons went into circulation touting a Humphrey-McCarthy dream ticket. This is the first we've seen.
