Richard Nixon had served as vice president from 1953 to 1961 , and had been defeated in the 1960 presidential election by John F. Kennedy . In the years after his defeat , Nixon established himself as an important party leader who appealed to both moderates and conservatives . Nixon entered the race for the 1968 Republican presidential nomination confident that , with the Democrats torn apart over the war in Vietnam , a Republican had a good chance of winning the presidency in November , although he expected the election to be as close as in 1960 . One year prior to the 1968 Republican National Convention the early favorite for the party 's presidential nomination was Michigan governor George Romney , but Romney 's campaign foundered on the issue of the Vietnam War . Nixon established himself as the clear front-runner after a series of early primary victories . His chief rivals for the nomination were Governor Ronald Reagan of California , who commanded the loyalty of many conservatives , and Governor Nelson Rockefeller of New York , who had a strong following among party moderates
1968 Republican National Convention
1968 Republican National Convention
Presidency of Richard Nixon