He then joined Nixon 's political staff , as Nixon was preparing a bid for the 1968 Republican presidential nomination . Sears played a pivotal role at the 1968 Republican National Convention , in securing Richard Nixon 's nomination for the presidency . He was only 28 at the time , and was subsequently shut out of the Nixon campaign operation by John Mitchell ( a partner from his law firm ) , who considered him overly ambitious . Mitchell , who became U.S. Attorney general in the first Nixon administration , was subsequently caught up as a central figure in the Watergate scandal , from 1972 to 1974
1968 Republican National Convention
1968 Republican National Convention
John Sears (political strategist)