On March 27 , 1968 , Kennedy announced his intention to run against McCarthy in the Indiana primary . His aides told him that a race in Indiana would be an extremely tight race and advised him against it . Despite the concerns of his advisors , Kennedy traveled to Indianapolis the following day and filed to run in the Indiana primary . At the Indiana Statehouse , Kennedy told a cheering crowd that the state was important to his campaign : " If we can win in Indiana , we can win in every other state , and win when we go to the convention in August . " On April 4 , Kennedy made his first campaign stop in Indiana at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend , followed by a speech at Ball State University in Muncie . In his speech at Ball State , Kennedy suggested that the 1968 election would " determine the direction that the United States is going to move " and that the American people should " examine everything . Not take anything for granted . " In addition , Kennedy enumerated his concerns about poverty and hunger , lawlessness and violence , jobs and economic development , and foreign policy . He emphasized that Americans had a " moral obligation " and should " make an honest effort to understand one another and move forward together . " After leaving the stage at Ball State , Kennedy boarded a plane for Indianapolis . When he arrived in Indianapolis he was informed of King 's assassination . Later that evening , Kennedy made a brief speech on the assassination of King to a crowd gathered for a political rally at 17th and Broadway — an African American neighborhood near the north side of Indianapolis . He attempted to console the crowd with calls for peace and compassion . After attending King 's funeral in Atlanta , Georgia , Kennedy turned his attention back to the primary campaign . He drew huge crowds at campaign stops across the country . Kennedy 's Indiana campaign resumed on April 10
King 's assassination
Assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.
Robert F. Kennedy 1968 presidential campaign