After concluding his 1968 campaign for the White House he returned to the Senate . While in Chattanooga , the shooting of two black students at Jackson State College in 1970 by the Mississippi State Police , prompted Muskie to hire a jet airliner to take approximately one hundred people to see the bullet holes and attend a funeral of one of the victims . The people of Maine said this was " rash and self serving " but Muskie has stated his lack of regret for his actions publicly . At an event in Los Angeles , he publicly stated his support for several black empowerment movements in California , which garnered the attention of numerous media outlets , and black city councilman Thomas Bradley . In 1970 , Muskie was chosen to articulate the Democratic party 's message to congressional voters before the midterm elections . His national stature was raised as a major candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1972 . In 1973 , he gave the Democratic response to Nixon 's State of the Union address . During this time , he was appointed the chair of the intergovernmental relations subcommittee . Considered " a backwater assignment " , Muskie used it to advocate for a widening of governmental responsibilities , limiting the power of Richard Nixon 's " Imperial Presidency " and advancing New Federalism ideals
shooting of two black students
Jackson State killings
Edmund Muskie